Legends of Judo: Driulis González Morales

Only the most dedicated athletes represent their nation at the Olympic Games. Fewer still get to do so on more than one occasion.

That Cuba’s Driulis González Morales competed on the biggest stage five times is testament to her skill, commitment and class.

From 1992 to the turn of the millennium, González dominated judo’s lightweight category, finishing on the podium at every major competition she competed in.

She took a lengthy time out for the birth of her son, but she returned with a vengeance in 2003, achieving further success in the heavier half-middleweight division.

All in all, Morales won medals at four Olympic Games between – 1992 and 2004 – and seven World Championships. Unbeatable in regional competition, she won an incredible 11 Pan American titles.

Her Olympic career came to an end with a fifth place at Beijing in 2008, but she remains one of only three women judokas to compete in five Games, alongside Ryoko Tani of Japan and Australia’s Maria Pekli.

Legends of Judo: Ryoko Tani, the greatest female judoka ever?

The first judo school dates back to 1882 in Tokyo. Traditionally a Japanese practice, it has gradually spread across the planet and established itself as one of the world's most popular combat sports.

Literally meaning "gentle way," judo techniques harness an opponent's force to your own advantage by throwing and pinning them to the ground.

Judo was first seen at the Olympics in Tokyo in 1964, and a women's competition was added at the Barcelona Games in 1992.

No judoka has more world championships gold medals than Teddy Riner. In September 2017, the legendary Frenchman won his ninth title, before hitting double figures at an open weight competition in Marrakech.

"It is a sport that demands an irreproachable lifestyle," Riner tells CNN, "a sport that demands rigor."

On the women's side, Ryoko Tani's record stands out. The Japanese Judoka has seven world titles, and upon her retirement was hailed as the "best female judoka ever."

Majlinda Kelmendi tears up after being crowned Kosovo's first ever gold medalist at the Rio Olympics in the women's 52 kg weight category.

At 218 kilos, judoka Ricardo Blas Jr. (seen here on the right competing at London 2012) is the world's heaviest Olympian.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is a judo master, denoted by wearing a black belt.

World Judo Championships: An introduction to the 'gentle way'

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A Cuban icon

A triumphant Driulis Gonzales stands atop the podium at the Atlanta 1996 Olympics, alongside Spain's Isabel Fernandez, Belgium's Marisabel Lomba and South Korean Jung Sun-Yong.

González’s finest hour came in the Atlanta 1996 Olympic final, where she faced South Korea’s Jung Sun-Yong in a rematch of the 1995 World Championships decider.

González, then 23, emerged victorious from the hard-fought, scrappy contest by two yuko scores to nil.

She was inducted into the International Judo Federation’s hall of fame in 2015, becoming the first Latin American woman to receive the honor.

Legends of Judo: Teddy Riner, the history-making man mountain

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