Member News
October 20, 2006
Rousey, Stevens, Ibera and Brutus Lead Americans at U.S. Open
(Miami, Fla.) – Travis Stevens (San Jose, Calif. / San Jose State University) produced one of the biggest upsets during the first day of the U.S. Open Judo Championships to win gold in the 81kg division on Friday.
Twenty-year-old Stevens won a bronze medal at the Rendez-Vous Canada at the B-Level Rendez-Vous Canada three weeks ago in Montreal, but was the underdog coming into the final against two-time World Team member Aaron Cohen (Buffalo Grove, Ill. / NYAC / Cohen’s Judo).
Cohen opened up the match with the first score, just over two minutes into the match, throwing Stevens for a yuko (quarter-point) with a tai otoshi (body drop). Cohen earned a shido (penalty) 30 seconds later that shrank his lead. In the last two minutes, Stevens threw Cohen with a fireman’s carry for a waza-ari and then threw Cohen a second time to with the match by ippon (instant win, similar to a knockout in boxing) with 43 seconds on the clock.
Stevens picked up wins against athletes from four countries en route to his title.
Athens Olympian Ronda Rousey (Santa Monica, Calif. / NYAC) never got her much anticipated 63kg match with fifth-place World and Olympic finisher Marie-Helene Chisholm (CAN) but solidly defeated the rest of her opponents to win gold.
Chisholm, meanwhile, was left with a 0-1 record after losing in the first round to Nicole Archuleta (Colorado Springs, Colo. / Olympic Training Center USA Judo National Training Site).
Archuleta, a former Junior National Champion at 48kg, left judo to play basketball in college and chose the U.S. Open as the location for her first competition out of retirement.
After upsetting Chisholm, Archuleta lost to Rousey, a 2004 Junior World Champion who added a second medal to her collection at last week’s Junior Worlds.
Rousey then ran through Canadians Aneta Mozden and Isabelle Pearson, who she also defeated in the Rendez-Vous final, to advance to the gold medal round.
In the finals, Rousey led by a yuko off an early attack against Jennie Bonsant (CAN) who became one of a select group of athletes to score on Rousey, throwing her for a yuko.
Determined to win the match, Rousey threw Bonsant twice more for a pair of waza-aris (half-point each) to win her second U.S. Open gold medal.
Joel Brutus (New York City, N.Y. / NYAC / +100kg), a 2006 Pan Am bronze medalist who fought the Pan Ams for his native Haiti, defeated Trevor McAlpine, Canada’s top heavyweight, in the quarter-finals.
Next he ousted eventual bronze medalist Daniel McCormick (Arlington, Texas / Bedford Kodokan Judo) to advance to the final match.
In the final, Semir Pepic (AUS) was little match for Brutus who was up by a waza-ari and a koka before pinning Pepic for an ippon.
Pepic had advanced to the final after narrowly escaping a semi-final loss to 2005 World Team member Kirk Hoffmann (Colorado Springs, Colo. / Olympic Training Center USA Judo National Training Site on a last-second shido.
Hoffmann then dropped down to the bronze medal match where he and McAlpine split shidos, but then Hoffmann earned another which was followed by McAlpine throwing him for ipponn with less than a minute in the match.
McCormick recovered from his early loss to win his bronze medal over Timothy Harmeling (Babson Park, Fla. / Somerlin Judo) with a quick makikomi (outer wrap around throw) for ippon.
Reigning heavyweight champion Anthony Turner (Miami, Fla. / IntoCombat Judo) sustained an injury competing against Pepic and did not place in the tournament.
Fifteen-year-old Taylor Ibera (Honolulu, Hawaii / Hawaii Tenri / 44kg) was the day’s youngest champion, earning her first senior title at her first major international competition. Ibera’s round robin wins included Alexa Liddie (Colorado Springs, Colo. / Olympic Training Center USA Judo National Training Site) and Elena Zaitseva (No Country), both of whom would finish with bronze medals.
Finishing second to Ibera, Veronica Prado (Coral Springs, Fla. / North Miami USA Judo National Training Site) added a second U.S. Open medal to her 2005 title.
Junior World Team member Kayla Harrison (Middletown, Ohio / Renshuden Judo / 70kg) also fought for gold against four-time World Cup medalist Catherine Roberge (CAN). Harrison, who upset 2005 Pan American Champion Diana Chala (ECU), throwing her for ippon in the opening three seconds of the semi-finals.
In the gold medal match, Harrison fought well against Roberge, but was thrown with an uchimata (inner thigh throw) for a waza-ari which Roberge rolled straight into an ippon.
Fourteen-year-old Marina Lambert (Chesapeake, Va. / Washington Judo / 78kg) competed this weekend not only in her first U.S. Open, but her second senior competition of any variety.
Advancing to the bronze medal match, Lambert and Asma Sharif (Wakefield, Mass. / Pedro’s Judo Center) were tied with a yuko each at the end of five minutes, but Lambert, a top girls wrestler, pinned Sharif in golden score (overtime) for a yuko to win a bronze medal.
In the women’s heavyweight division, the Americans won two bronze medals when Lorey Edwards (Columbus, Ohio / Renshuden / +78kg) threw Senior National Champion Melinda Swanson (Honolulu, Hawaii / Hawaii Tenri) for ippon in just over a minute while Brittni Bradford (Land O’Lakes, Fla. / St. Pete Judo) won her match by ippon against Simone Dahl (AUS) in virtually the same amount of time.
The first U.S. bronze of the night went to David Ellis (Westfield, N.Y. / Cranford Judo / 81kg) who caught David Groom (GBR) in a reverse sankaku (triangle hold), choking Groom for ippon.
Garry St. Leger (Brooklyn, N.Y. / Starrett Judo/ 90kg) threw Canadian Michael Leger with a fireman’s carry for ippon to win his first U.S. Open bronze in 28 seconds.
Competition continues tomorrow with women’s 48kg, 52kg, 57kg and Open divisions and the men’s 60kg, 66kg, 73kg and Open divisions. The Master’s division also begins tomorrow – the first of two days of competition.
Complete results are as follows:
Women’s 44kg
1. Taylor Ibera (Honolulu, Hawaii / Hawaii Tenri)
2. Veronica Prado (Coral Springs, Fla. / North Miami USA Judo National Training Site)
3. Elena Zaitseva (No Country)
3. Alexa Liddie (Colorado Springs, Colo. / Olympic Training Center USA Judo National Training Site)
5. Margaret Drake (Scotia, N.Y. / Jason Morris Judo Center)
Women’s 63kg
1. Ronda Rousey (Santa Monica, Calif. / NYAC)
2. Jennie Bonsant (CAN)
3. Yuri Alvear (COL)
3. Sayaka Tsuruoka (JPN)
5. Maria Perez (PUR)
5. Isabelle Pearson (CAN)
Women’s 70kg
1. Catherine Roberge (CAN)
2. Kayla Harrison (Middletown, Ohio / Renshuden)
3. Diana Chala (ECU)
3. Kelita Zupancic
5. Michelle Holt (GBR)
3. Katy Bryant (CAN)
Women’s 78kg
1. Amy Cotton (CAN)
2. Marylise Levesque (CAN)
3. Marina Lambert (Chesapeake, Va. / Washington Judo)
3. Pamela Wilson (CAN)
5. Asma Sharif (Wakefield, Mass. / Pedro’s Judo Center)
5. Lisa Uemura (Salinas, Calif. / Salinas Judo)
Women’s +78kg
1. Vanessa Zanbotti (MEX)
2. Olia Berger (CAN)
3. Loretta Edwards (Columbus, Ohio / Renshuden)
3. Brittni Bradford (Land O’Lakes, Fla. / St. Pete Judo)
5. Melinda Swanson (Honolulu, Hawaii / Hawaii Tenri)
5. Simone Dahl (AUS)
Men’s 55kg
1. Carlos Tenesaca (ECU)
2. Hiram Cruz (PUR)
3. Jaime Alerto Jaramillo (COL)
3. Julien Paradis (CAN)
5. Santiago Martinez (Coral Springs, Fla. / Ki-Itsu-Sai)
5. Jonathan Medrano (PUR)
Men’s 81kg
1. Travis Stevens (San Jose, Calif. / San Jose State University)
2. Aaron Cohen (Buffalo Grove, Ill. / NYAC / Cohen’s Judo)
3. Adam Bick (GBR)
3. David Ellis (Westfield, N.J. / Cranford Judo and Karate)
5. Bandi Davaadorj (Denver, Colo. / Denver Judo)
5. David Groom (GBR)
Men’s 90kg
1. Alexandre Emond (CAN)
2. Klemen Ferjan (SLO)
3. Garry St. Leger (Brooklyn, N.Y. / Starrett Judo)
3. Sylwester Gawel (POL)
5. Michael Leger (CAN)
5. Daniel Kelly (AUS)
Men’s 100kg
1. Keith Morgan (CAN)
2. Alex Aguiar (BRA)
3. Alexandru Ciupe (CAN)
3. Klemen Primoz Ferjan (SLO)
5. Guillaume Cavalli (CAN)
5. Kart Trottier (CAN)
Men’s +100kg
1. Joel Brutus (New York City, N.Y. / NYAC)
2. Semir Pepic (AUS)
3. Trevor McAlpine (CAN)
3. Daniel McCormick (Arlington, Texas / Bedford Kodokan Judo Club)
5. Timothy Harmeling (Babson Park, Fla. / Somerlin Judo)
5. Kirk Hoffmann (Colorado Springs, Colo. / Olympic Training Center USA Judo National Training Site)
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