Member News

September 22, 2006

Rendez-Vous Canada Men’s Middle and Heavyweight Preview

(Colorado Springs, Colo.) – With a large U.S. contingent expected to compete in this weekend’s men’s middle and heavyweight divisions, the Americans have the potential for several podium finishes at the Rendez-Vous Canada in Montreal.

Two-time World Team member Aaron Cohen (Buffalo Grove, Ill. / NYAC / Cohen’s Judo Club) is nearly a fixture on the podium in Montreal having placed during each of the last five years.  The 24-year-old took the European season off after a knee reconstruction, but that didn’t appear to affect his performance since then as Cohen handily won Senior Nationals and then earned a bronze medal at the Pan Ams. 

In the men’s +100kg division, the U.S. has a handful of championship contenders in past Pan American medalists Kirk Hoffmann (Colorado Springs, Colo. / Olympic Training Center USA Judo National Training Site) and Joel Brutus (New York City, N.Y. / NYAC) as well as 2005 U.S. Open Champion Anthony Turner (Miami, Fla. / IntoCombat).

Visually impaired athlete Myles Porter (Toledo, Ohio / Toledo-Maumee Judo Club / 100kg), a fifth-place finisher at the 2006 World Blind Championships, is seeking to become the first visually impaired American to place at a B-Level event since Paralympic Champion Kevin Szott (Hoboken, N.J.) did so in 1997.

A complete breakdown of the men’s middle and heavyweight divisions is as follows:

Men’s 81kg (Estimated Division Size: 28)

Aaron Cohen (Buffalo Grove, Ill. / NYAC / Cohen’s Judo Club) has medaled at the Rendez-Vous every year since 2001, but has yet to win a title at this event.  Following a good showing with a bronze at the Pan American Championships in May and coming off nearly three weeks of training in Japan, this year could be Cohen’s.  In order to do so, though, Cohen may need to defeat 2003 Canadian National Champion Kalem Kachur who beat Cohen by two kokas (smallest points) in last year’s quarter-finals.  Lukasz Blach (POL) shot into the top 25 of the world rankings after finishing fifth at the Moscow Super World Cup.  Alexandre Emond, a two-time Canadian National Champion, made a surprising early round exit last year and didn’t make the repechage, but finished second at the 2003 event.  Toru Taniguchi (JPN) hasn’t made much noise on the senior international scene, but don’t count out the 2000 Asian Junior Champion.

Americans to Watch:  Athens Olympian Rick Hawn (Woburn, Mass. / Pedro’s Judo Center) hasn’t reached the podium here since he won the event in 2001; however he fought well over the summer at Tre-Torri, winning a silver medal.  Junior World Team member Yuko Sin (Scotia, N.Y. / Jason Morris Judo Center), David Ellis (Westfield, N.J. / Cranford), Harry St. Leger (Brooklyn, N.Y. / Starrett Judo), Phillip Spano (North Lauderdale, Fla. / North Miami USA Judo National Training Site) and Travis Stevens (San Jose, Calif. / San Jose State University) also will be competing.

Men’s 90kg (Estimated Division Size: 26)

Defending Champion Mike Pedro (Providence, R.I. / Pedro’s Judo Center) has been out this season with an injury, so expect a new cast of characters to come in to fight for the gold, most notably Yura Yazaki (JPN) who finished second at this year’s Hamburg Super World Cup.  Henk Grol (NED), a 2002 Junior World medalist, has evolved into a top senior player, most recently placing fifth at the Moscow Super World Cup.  Canadian Maxime Roberge is a familiar sight on the podium in Montreal, earning medals in three previous appearances, including a bronze in 2005.  USA Judo Elite U-23 Team member  Garry St. Leger (Brooklyn, N.Y. / Starrett Judo) has shown some of the most rapid improvement on the U.S. men’s side this year, winning his first Senior National title and earning B-level status with a bronze medal win at the Tre-Torri International in June.  Finally, Klemen Ferjan (SLO) dominated the New York Open to win gold in March after finishing seventh at the Paris World Cup.

Americans to Watch:  Senior Nationals silver medalist Roger Mazella (Natick, Mass. / Tohoku), Shintaro Higashi (Scarsdale, N.Y. / Kokushi), George Pissimissis (Hyannis, Mass. / Pedro’s Judo Center), Victor Jean-Baptiste (Brooklyn, N.Y. / Pedro’s Judo), Colin Burns (Colorado Springs, Colo. / Olympic Training Center USA Judo National Training Site), David Chapman (Scotia, N.Y. / Jason Morris Judo Center), Eric Duus (Saratoga, Calif. / Stanford) and Alex Maratos (Palmetto Bay, Fla. / Miami Judo Academy) also will be competing.

Men’s 100kg (Estimated Division Size: 20)

Although last year this division consisted almost entirely of Canadians, this year expect to see an international flair on the podium.  Elco van der Geest (NED), hasn’t been seen much in 2006, but the 11-time World Cup medalist and fifth-place Athens finisher is expected to be the athlete everyone else is chasing in this division.  Among the other top contenders is Canadian Keith Morgan.  Morgan won nine World Cup medals at 90kg, but moved up to 100kg earlier this year.  Two-time Canadian National Champion Scott Edward and Takashi Ieizumi (JPN) also should be threats here.    Adler Volmar (North Lauderdale, Fla. / North Miami USA Judo National Training Site), a 1996 Olympian for Haiti, performed consistently well on the South American Tour this summer and hopes to earn his B-Level status in Montreal. 

Americans to Watch:  Djamal Aliev (Greenwood Village, Colo. / Olympic Training Center USA Judo National Training Site) dominated his opponents when he won Senior Nationals in April, but struggled with penalties at the Pan Ams.  If Aliev can consistently attack in Montreal he has placing potential.  At 45-years-old, two-time Olympian Rene Capo (Scotia, N.Y. / Jason Morris Judo Center) looked excellent at the Fall Classic, but the will need to keep in top form throughout a long day to do well in Montreal.  Myles Porter (Toledo, Ohio / Toledo-Maumee Judo Club) finished fifth at the World Blind Judo Championships in June and will be competing in his first able-bodied event after going 1-1 at the Senior Nationals.  Porter’s ground game is well-suited to this weight division and he could fare well with a good draw.  Derek Alef (Goleta, Calif. / Santa Ynez Valley Judo) and Aaron Handy (Fairfield, Ohio / Renshuden) also will be competing.

Men’s +100kg (Estimated Division Size: 12)

Trevor McAlpine (CAN), a fifth-place finisher at this year’s Pan Ams, and 2002 Junior World medalist Shinya Katabuchi (JPN) will be among the frontrunners in this division, but expect the heavyweight Americans to end up in the medal rounds as well.  Anthony Turner (Miami, Fla. / IntoCombat) recently assumed the #1 ranking in the United States and a win at the Rendez-Vous would bode well for Turner as he goes to defend his U.S. Open title.  Joel Brutus (New York City, N.Y. / NYAC) utilized his newly acquired U.S. citizenship to win the Senior Nationals, defeating both Turner and 2005 World Team member Kirk Hoffmann (Colorado Springs, Colo. / Olympic Training Center USA Judo).  Brutus then represented Haiti at the Pan Ams where he finished third, defeating McAlpine in the final.  Hoffmann, who won a bronze here last year, could regain his top ranking in the division with a win in Montreal this weekend. 

Americans to Watch:  Former Junior World Team member Daniel McCormick (Arlington, Texas / Bedford Kodokan Judo Club) has had a difficult season, but the 20-year-old showed he can produce international results with a bronze medal at the British Open in 2005 and could do so again here.  Other Americans competing include Ashanti Taltoan (Dayton, Ohio / Renshuden), Joseph Sapp (Atlanta, Ga. / Waka Mu Sha) and Patrick Bokor (Winter Park, Fla. / Central Florida Judo).