Russian team wins first Olympic gold

Bruised and battered but still wearing a gold medal, the first Russian champion in Rio de Janeiro seemed to mirror his country's standing at the Olympics.

Despite eye and hand injuries that might have ruled out a lesser rival, Beslan Mudranov upset the reigning world champion in his judo final.

The victory showed that Russia is set to remain a serious contender for medals in Rio, despite the loss of many top athletes to a widespread doping scandal.

"For us, this medal means a lot because people were putting a lot of psychological pressure on us," Mudranov said.

"A gold medal like this will really please our country."

Russia will field no weightlifters and only one track and field athlete among the 278 athletes it has sent to Brazil, shutting down two of the main medal producers for the sports superpower.

Russia is still likely to dominate in those events where it has been traditionally strong: gymnastics, synchronised swimming and wrestling.

The legacy of its Sochi Winter Olympics in 2014 has been tarnished by the doping scandal, and on Sunday, it was kicked out of the Rio Paralympics over evidence of systematic drug cheating.