Member News

October 18, 2006

U.S. Open Comes to Florida International University This Weekend

(Miami, Fla.) – The U.S. Open Judo Championships will be held at Florida International University this weekend with competition in the senior divisions being held Friday and Saturday.

The event will be held at the FIU University Park Campus at the Pharmed Arena, 1180 SW 113th Ave., Miami, Fla.  with finals Webcast live at 6 p.m. EST both evenings on www.livesportsvideo.com.

Friday’s competition will include the following divisions:

• Women’s 44kg, 63kg, 70kg, 78kg and +78kg
• Men’s 55kg, 81kg, 90kg, 100kg and +100kg

Saturday’s competition will include the following divisions:

• Women’s Open, 48kg, 52kg, and 57kg
• Men’s Open, 60kg, 66kg and 73kg

Among this weekend’s competitors, several U.S. athletes are looking to defend their 2005 titles in fields that include judo players from 22 nations.

Anthony Turner (Miami, Fla. / IntoCombat Judo / +100kg) used his title at last year’s event later to springboard into the #1 ranking in his division.  Turner has become one of the best conditioned athletes in the heavyweight division and has beaten most of the top-ranked +100kg players this year. 

Valerie Gotay (Harlingen, Texas / Harlingen USA Judo National Training Site / 57kg) won her first U.S. Open title as a 48kg player in 1989 and will be aiming for her fifth this weekend.  Gotay, 1992 Olympian, won the Rendez-Vous Canada against many of the same athletes competing this weekend and is considered the front runner in the 57kg division.

Ronda Rousey (Santa Monica, Calif. / NYAC / 63kg) returns to senior competition this weekend after winning a bronze medal at last weekend’s Junior World Championships.  The 19-year-old Athens Olympian and fourth-ranked senior athlete in the world won her first U.S. Open here last year and has beaten her top competitor, Marie Helene-Chisholm (CAN), a fifth-place World and Olympic finisher, three times in 2006. 

Katie Mocco (Glenville, N.Y. / NYAC / Jason Morris Judo Center / 70kg) took the title at last year’s event in Fort Lauderdale as her first U.S. Open win.  Since then, Mocco has finished third at the Pan Am Championships in May and fifth at the Rendez-Vous Canada three weeks ago.

Sixteen-year-old Veronica Prado (Coral Springs, Fla. / North Miami USA Judo National Training Site / 44kg) won the 2005 event over her North Miami teammate Daimisy Porras (Hialeah, Fla.) who will be competing at 48kg this weekend.

In addition to Prado and Porras, approximately 17 other athletes from the newly created North Miami USA Judo National Training Site are expected to fight for a trip to the medal stand this weekend.

Saturday afternoon (approximately 2 p.m.) will feature competition held for the first time ever in the Master’s division (30-years-old and over).  The Master’s competition will continue at 9 a.m. Sunday as well.