It turns out that change is good for Marti Malloy.
The junior at San Jose State University and Oak Harbor native won a bronze medal in 57kg judo after moving down from her normal 63kg due to it not having a division in the Olympics. Malloy, who is the top-ranked 63kg player in the United States, was still able to leave the competition with a medal in her hand and her head held high.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Malloy lost with seven seconds remaining in her semifinal match on Monday against Corina Caprioriu of Romania before avenging the loss against Guilia Quintavalle of Italy to win the bronze. Quintavalle was the defending Olympic champion.
Malloy has been destined for greatness within the sport since she was young as she claimed her first gold medal in a senior international competition at the tender age of 16. Having now already snagged an Olympic medal, the sky is the limit for Malloy as this could be just the beginning to a great career in judo on the Olympic level.
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