Henk Grol

Sport: Judo

Nation: Netherlands

DOB: April 14, 1985

Career Highlights: After taking home bronze from the 2008 Games, Grol heads to London with his sights set on gold. Ranked No. 2 in the world in the -100 kg weight class as of May 19, Grol posted six consecutive first-place finishes before coming in second at the IJF Masters Almaty in January and fifth at the IJF Grand Slam Tournoi de Paris a month later. Grol, a silver medalist at the 2010 World Championships, won gold at the 2008 European championships in Lisbon then came in second at the 2009 event in Tbilisi. While Grol seems unlikely to return to the Netherlands empty-handed, he could have a hard time getting past Maxim Rakov if the two half heavyweights were to meet. Grol and Rakov, who is ranked No. 1 in the weight division, have split six career matches, with the Kazakhstan native most recently prevailing in January.

Olympic History: 2008