COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO (September 22, 2008) In the first major international tournament since the Olympic Games, Nina Cutro-Kelly (San Antonio, Texas / Universal Judo) won the first A-Level medal of her career with a silver at the Birmingham World Cup in Great Britain on Saturday.
Cutro-Kelly’s first two wins avenged losses to players she fought last year at the 2007 Finnish Open.
In the first round, Cutro-Kelly led by a koka (smallest points) when Emma Fletcher (GBR) sustained a knee injury that forced her to withdraw from the match.
The win moved Cutro-Kelly into the semifinal when she and Raimonda Gedutyte (LTU) fought into overtime before Cutro-Kelly pinned Gedutyte.
Although Cutro-Kelly sustained an injury during her final match against Jana Stucke (GER), she continued fighting until Stucke armbarred her for the win.
The silver medal moves Cutro-Kelly into the #1 ranking in the 78kg division in the United States and makes her one of only three players in the United States to be currently ranked as an A-Level athlete.
BUDAPEST, HUNGARY (February 16, 2008) Valerie Gotay (Harlingen, Texas / USA Judo National Training Site at Harlingen) came back from a first-round loss on Saturday to place fifth at the Budapest World Cup in Hungary.
Competing against Vesna Dzukic (SLO), the 2007 European U23 Championships silver medalist in the first round, Gotay lost by a koka (smallest points).
Nearly three hours later, Dzukic advanced to the semifinals and Gotay was back on the mat with the goal of fighting through the repechage to win bronze.
Gotay pinned Hungarian Alexandra Fuzesi (HUN) in her first match and threw Tatiana Shushakova (RUS) for ippon with an o uchi gari (major inner leg throw).
In the next round, Gotay pinned Yahaira Aguirre (ESP) in Golden score (overtime) to advance to the bronze medal match.
Gotay and World University Games Champion Nae Udaka (JPN) each picked up a penalty in the match, but Udaka earned the win with a yuko (quarter-point) score.
Competition continues on Sunday with the 63kg, 70kg, 78kg and +78kg divisions.
By Robert H. Kelly
(Copyright 2008 TexSport Publications)
COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO (February 11, 2008) Diana Yoshida won the women’s 48kg division at the San Jose Buddhist Sensei Memorial Tournament in San Jose, California.
The Allen, Texas native moved to number eight on the USA Judo Senior Elite National Roster because of her performance.
One hundred twenty-five senior elite competitors competed in the tournament, which is a major step on the road to the Olympic Games in Beijing in August.
With the victory and her current ranking, Yoshida has moved into position to be selected to compete in the USA Judo Olympic Trails. If she remains in the top eight of her division on April 12, she will secured herself a spot in the Olympic Trials on June 13-15 in Las Vegas.
(SAN ANTONIO, Texas-July 22, 2007) After two full days of action at the 2007 USA Judo National Junior Olympic Championships at the Freeman Coliseum in San Antonio, it was the athletes of Texas who shined on the points spread for the event.
After final tallies were completed, Texans earned the most points of all competitors in the field with 155. Running neck and neck, Californians scored 129 points to Hawaii’s 123.
The top team also hailed from Texas, as Becerra Judo Club, located in Garland, Texas, took a commanding lead scoring 101 overall. Hawaii had two teams in the top three, including Hawaii Tenri and Shobukan, respectively.
Home to many outstanding judo clubs, San Antonio offered an ideal location for the 2007 competition. More than 700 athletes were anticipated for the weekend event.
“We are really pleased with the success of this match,” said Sherrie Phillips, one of two tournament directors. “The level of competition and incredible performances leave us with great expectations for next year.”
The biggest match of the day was the non-Olympic women’s International Judo Federation (IJF) 44kg division, touting two of the top three seniors in the nation. Two-time national silver medal winner Veronica Prado (Coal Springs, Fla. / USA Judo National Training Site at North Miami) entered as the top-ranked player, but was challenged by 2007 National Champion Taylor Ibera (Honolulu, Hawaii / Hawaii Tenri).
Prado scored two Ippon’s and a Yuko in five rounds to squeak by Ibera for the gold. Ibera managed an Ippon in her fourth match, but wasn’t able to knock Prado from the top step on the podium.
Following in third was Katelyn Bouyssou (Hope, R.I. / Mayo Quanchi Judo), the same athlete who said she had something to prove to herself after her win just one day earlier in the girls Juvenile A 44kg division. For her efforts, she was honored with the Sportsmanship Award for the day.
Teed up to be one of the most amazing stories from the event was the Boys' IJF-Junior 66kg division, a weight class with a long roster of top players. Coming out on top was Jeremy Liggett of Glenville, New York (NYAC / USA Judo National Training Site at the Jason Morris Judo Center), taking the gold in the category and earning himself the Outstanding Judoka Award for the day.
Liggett, who snatched the silver at the Senior Pan Ams in the 60kg division last may, worked his way into 66kg weight class and confirmed that he deserves the top spot in the division.
(SAN ANTONIO, Texas -July 21, 2007)– The competition was fierce on the first day of fights at the 2007 USA Judo National Junior Olympic Championships. With more than 700 athletes between the ages of six and 19 expected to participate, the atmosphere was intense as medals were awarded and outstanding finishes were witnessed.
The event concludes Sunday, July 22, with the IJF-Junior (under 20-year-olds) division welcoming the highest caliber juniors in the nation to the mat for day two of competition in San Antonio. The first matches will begin at 9:30 a.m. at the Freeman Coliseum.
“We had high expectations for growth and intensity of the competition here at the USA Judo National Junior Olympic Championships,” said Jim Hrbek (San Antonio, Texas), USA Judo Chair of Junior Development. The competition has been excellent. The depth of the divisions is good, and the quality of judo is all we could have hoped for.”
Among the top stories was the gold medal finish by Katelyn Bouyssou (Hope, R.I. / Mayo Quanchi Judo) in the Juvenile A 44kg division. Bouyssou, who is currently undefeated outside the United States, became the youngest player ever to earn a Senior Elite National Ranking when she was just 12-years-old.
In the gold medal match against Darya Cogswell (Denver, Colo. / Northglenn Judo), Bouyssou firmly secured the title with a critical throw for ippon in five seconds. With father and coach Serge by her side, Bouyssou will return to the mat Sunday in the IJF-Junior match.
For this year’s event, USA Judo wanted to create a buzz among the age groups and provide an outlet to heighten the overall match experience.
“We changed the schedule to allow younger competitors to take part in the IJF division,” said Hrbek, “and as a result, we anticipate the change will elevate the level of competition by outstanding youth trying to make it in the older division.”
“The foremost focus from USA Judo is to start as early as possible in the development process to help young athletes get a taste of international competition,” said USA Judo Board Member Grace Jividen (Denver, Colo.), a 1992 U.S. Olympian and six-time World Team member. “It is critical that young athletes have that opportunity to compete at a higher level and go for the gold. They get to go out there and have fun, but at the same time get an Olympic exhibition. You can’t ask for anything more than that.”
An athlete who has had recent success on the senior level where he won bronze at the Pan Am Championships in Montreal just two months ago, Kyle Taketa (Torrance, Calif. / Gardena Judo) was having a great time on the floor with his fellow juniors.
“It really feels different because I haven’t been fighting kids my own age,” noted 15-year-old Taketa. “Most recently I have been going up against people two times my age, so to come here I feel more comfortable.”
The comfort led to Taketa snatching the gold in his division. He defeated his fellow teammate in his first match, and finished with ippon in both his second and third rounds.
Presented with the Outstanding Judoka Award, Joshua Villani (Bellevue, Wash. / Ippon Dojo) fought in a deep division, defeating last year’s quadruple crown winner twice. The Sportsman Award was given to Shaniqua Brown (Atlanta, Ga. / Waka Mu Sha Judo) and Antonio Rodriguez (Miami, Fla. / USA Judo National Training Site at North Miami) were recognized for the best overall technique.
COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO (September 22, 2008) In the first major international tournament since the Olympic Games, Nina Cutro-Kelly (San Antonio, Texas / Universal Judo) won the first A-Level medal of her career with a silver at the Birmingham World Cup in Great Britain on Saturday.
