Carli Renzi
Going to the Olympics means I've been given the chance to share a large part of my life - Judo - with all my friends, family and colleagues. So many people will be watching me play a sport they've never really seen before, but that I've dedicated 22 years of my life to.
Making the Australian Olympic team was a fantastic feeling. I think I spent a good two minutes bouncing up and down on the spot when I won our final selection competition.
In London, I'm most looking forward to spotting the many very loud Aussie expats in the crowds :)
Carli Renzi's Sport for Women profile
Carli Renzi's Australian Olympic Team profile
Judo 101
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Jargon buster
Judoka: An expert or practitioner of judo
Dojo: Practice hall
Rei: Bow
Hajime: The referee’s command to start a judo fight
Soremade: The referee’s command to end a judo fight
Judogi: A judo uniform
Basic rules
Judo contests are fought on a mat, or tatami which is 14m x 14m, with a smaller contest area of 10m x 10m marked inside it.
At the start of each contest, the athletes stand 4m apart, facing each other on the tatami. The referee gets the contest underway by shouting ‘Hajime!’ and stops it by shouting ‘Matte!’
Two judokas gain points for throws and holds in a bid to beat their opponent. A contest lasts a maximum of five minutes for men and five minutes for women, and the athlete with the highest score is the winner.
The best score is ippon, which can be achieved for a throw, a hold, a strangle or an armlock, and results in immediate victory.
Other scores are waza-ari and yuko. These depend on the type of throw or how long a judoka can immobilise his/her opponent.
Fighters compete in events determined by their weight, and at London this summer there will be seven weight classes for men and seven for women.
