Pedro Can Bronze Fatherly Advice

The lessons of his father paid off for Jim Pedro.

“Every time I came off that mat, he would never say ‘Good job’ or ‘Way to go, kid’ or ‘I am proud of you,’ ” said Pedro, whose judo-instructor dad Jim Sr. was there to see him win the Olympic lightweight bronze medal. “But he would pull me aside and tell me what I was doing wrong and where I could improve my judo so I could go to the next level.”

Kenzo Nakamura, one of three brothers on the Japanese judo team, beat Kwak Dae-sung of South Korea in a split judge’s vote for the gold medal in the men’s division.

Nakamura scored an equalizing point in the last ten seconds of the match and took a 2-1 decision.

Pedro defeated Brazilian Sebastian Pereira for a bronze. Also taking a men’s bronze was Christophe Gagliano of France.

Driulis Gonzalez of Cuba won the women’s lightweight gold.

Gonzalez defeated South Korean Jung Sun-Yong for the gold.

Marisabel Lomba of Belgium and Isabel Fernandez of Spain took the bronze medals.

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The International Olympic Committee reprimanded Cuban judoka Estela Rodriguez, winner of a silver medal in the women’s heavyweight event, for taking a diuretic. IOC spokeswoman Michele Verdier said the case was not considered doping.

Although diuretics have no performance-enhancing properties, it is widely believed that they have been in common use by athletes for many years to mask the presence of banned drugs.

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MEDALISTS / Judo

MEN’S LIGHTWEIGHT

Gold: Kenzo Nakamura, Japan

Silver: Kwak Dea-sung, S. Korea

Bronze: Jimmy Pedro, United States / Christophe Gagliano, France

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WOMEN’S LIGHTWEIGHT

Gold: Driulis Gonzalez, Cuba

Silver: Jung Sun-Yong, South Korea

Bronze: Isabel Fernandez, Spain / Marisabel Lomba, Belgium