Member News

March 29, 2006

Junior Athletes Finish 10th at Kindai Cup Team Challenge

A team of five U.S. junior athletes, ranging from 13-15-years-old finished 10th of 130 teams at the Kindai Cup Team Challenge in Tokyo, Japan with a 26-6-2 record.

The event, held Monday, followed the Kindai Cup, one of the world’s most prestigious junior events in which teams of athletes compete with two each at 66kg and Open weight and a fifth at 81kg.  The Kindai Cup is held annually at the Tokyo Budokan and is sponsored by the All-Japan Judo Federation and the Baseball Magazine Co. Ltd.

During the Kindai Cup, the Americans won a total of seven matches, lost five and tied three during round robin competitions against two other teams, placing them 78th our of 195 teams with the top team from each round robin advancing to a 64-team draw.

Team captain Miguel Ballesteros (Miami, Fla./North Miami USA Judo National Training Site/66kg), a gold medalist at the 2005 Tokyo Youth International, had the best overall U.S. performance, winning 12 matches during the two days of competition, dropping only one and tying a third.

Following an injury to Dariel Porras (North Lauderdale, Fla./Ki-Itsu-Sai/66kg), Ballesteros added three matches to his original 11-match docket.  Prior to his injury, Porras held a 1-1-2 record.

Ian Daube (Poway, Calif./Judo America/Open) also went nearly undefeated, winning nine matches, losing one and tying another.

Also competing in the Open division, Kevin Duarte (Baldwin Park, Calif./Mojica Judo), a Junior National silver medalist, finished the events, 6-5.

Christopher Roman (Stone Mountain, Ga./Waka Mu Sha/81kg) also had a winning record, 5-3-3. 

The Americans were coached by Humberto Lopez (Miami, Fla.), who also served on the U.S. coaching staff of the 2004 Junior World Championships.