2006 World University Championships Day 1 Results

Member News

December 18, 2006

Swanson Finishes Seventh at World University Championships

Melinda Swanson (Honolulu, Hawaii / University of Hawaii at Manoa) finished in seventh place in the +78kg division at her first World University Championships on Sunday in Suwon, Republic of Korea.

Swanson, who won the Senior Nationals in her first attempt in April, had a difficult opening match, drawing Katrin Beinroth (GER), one of the top 10 players in the world and a medalist at this year’s Moscow and Paris Super World Cups.

After losing to Beinroth by ippon (instant win), Swanson dropped down to the repechage, where she dominated her match against Bronwyn Boebak (RSA), holding Boebak scoreless and beating her by two waza-aris (half-point each).

In the next match, Swanson lost by ippon (instant win) to 2006 Asian Junior medalist Aya Ishiyama (JPN) who would go on to win the bronze.

Swanson’s division was won by Malgorzata Gornicka (POL), a 5-time World Cup medalist who defeated Xi Qin (CHN), this year’s World Junior Champion. The second bronze medal was taken by Maryna Prokof’yeva (UKR), a 2004 European Champion and 10-time World Cup medalist.

The other divisions contested Sunday included women’s 70kg and 78kg and men’s 90kg, 100kg and +100kg.

Monday’s event included the women’s 57kg and 63kg divisions and men’s 73kg and 81kg.

The individual competition continues Tuesday with the women’s 48kg, 52kg and Open divisions and the men’s 60kg, 66kg and Open divisions.

Sayaka Matsumoto (El Cerrito, Calif. / University of California – Berkeley), a 2006 Pan Am bronze medalist, will compete in the 48kg division.

Although the World University Championships is only open to college students, many of the top players in the world were in attendance, including the following:

Akos Braun (HUN / 73kg), 2005 World Champion, won his division here as well, but needed Golden Score (overtime) sessions in three of his four matches to do so, including a final match win on flags over Yasutaka Narita (JPN) after neither athlete scored in either the regular or Golden Score periods.
Heidi Wollert (GER / 70kg), a two-time European silver medalist and the #3 player in the world, lost in the final to Ka Yeon Park (KOR), a 2004 Junior World bronze medalist
Ole Bischof (GER / 81kg), the 2005 European Champion, beat Jesus Pardo (ESP), a two-time World Cup Champion last year at 73kg in the final.
Matthieu Daffreville (FRA / 90kg), a silver medalist at the 2006 Moscow Super World Cup, defeated Krzysztof Weglarz (POL), a two-time 2006 World Cup medalist in the final.
Takamasa Anai (JPN / 100kg), a silver medalist at the 2006 Paris Super World Cup, won the division over Thierry Fabre (FRA), a two-time World Cup medalist at 90kg. Fabre upset Daniel Hadfi (HUN), a 2006 European silver medalist, in the semifinals. Hadfi finished third overall.
Barna Bor (HUN / +100kg), 2004 World Juniors silver medalist and four-time World Cup medalist, beat Marius Paskevicius (LTU), a four-time World Cup medalist, in the final match.

Complete results for the first two days of competition are as follows:

Women’s 57kg

1. Guirong Zhu (CHN)

2. Bernadett Baczko (HUN)

3. Lila Latrous (ALG)

3. Mio Myosen (JPN)

5. Miryam Roper (GER)

5. Valentina Aloisi (ITA)

7. Yahaira Aguirre (ESP)

7. Inga Golaszewska (POL)

Women’s 63kg

1. Emmanuelle Payet (FRA)

2. Anna Von Harnier (GER)

3. Hilde Drexler (AUT)

3. Chin-Fang Wang (TPE)

5. Africa Gutierrez (ESP)

5. Erica Moraes (BRA)

7. Isabelle Pearson (CAN)

7. Miki Tanaka (JPN)

Women’s 70kg

1. Ka Yeon Park (KOR)

2. Heide Wollert (GER)

3. Haixia Wang (CHN)

3. Leire Iglesias (ESP)

5. Yoriko Kunihara (JPN)

5. Gemma Gibbons (GBR)

7. Tsedev Su Munkh Zaya (MGL)

7. Anita Budai (HUN)

Women’s 78kg

1. Mi Gyeong Jung (KOR)

2. Marylise Levesque (CAN)

3. Zhehui Zhang (CHN)

3. Sayaka Anai (JPN)

5. Sian Wilson (GBR)

5. Jarg Purev Lkhamdegd (MGL)

7. Gabi Teichmann (GER)

7. Geraldine Mentouopou (FRA)

Women’s +78kg

1. Malgorzata Gornicka (POL)

2. Xi Qin (CHN)

3. Maryna Prokof’yeva (UKR)

3. Aya Ishiyama (JPN)

5. Katrin Beinroth (GER)

5. Na Young Kim (KOR)

7. Alicia Alonso (ESP)

7. Melinda Swanson (Honolulu, Hawai / University of Hawai at Manoa), 1-2

Men’s 73kg

1. Akos Braun (HUN)

2. Yasutaka Narita (JPN)

3. Ahmed Ould Said (FRA)

3. Miguel Romero (ESP)

5. Rijigawa Si (CHN)

5. Chun Ta Huang (TPE)

7. Lee Shinkin (GBR)

7. Krzyszto Wilkomirski (POL)

Men’s 81kg

1. Ole Bischof (GER)

2. Jesus Pardo (ESP)

3. Alain Schmitt (FRA)

3. Christoph Keller (SUI)

5. Jiri Pokorny (CZE)

5. Lorenzo Bagnoli (ITA)

7. Florian Rinnerthaler (AUT)

7. Sandor Nagysolymosi (HUN)

Men’s 90kg

1. Mathieu Daffreville (FRA)

2. Krzysztof Weglarz (POL)

3. Dominique Hischier (SUI)

3. Bjorn Bachmann (GER)

5. Sun Woo Park (KOR)

5. Bat Bay Ariun Erdene (MGL)

7. Shun Saito (JPN)

7. Amar Benikhlef (ALG)

Men’s 100kg

1. Takamassa Anai (JPN)

2. Thierry Fabre (FRA)

3. Naidan Tuvshin Bayar (MGL)

3. Daniel Hadfi (HUN)

5. Kwang Woo Nam (KOR)

5. Tomas Kobza (CZE)

7. Alexey Ledenev (RUS)

7. Giovanni Parisi (ITA)

Men’s +100kg

1. Barna Bor (HUN)

2. Marius Paskevicius (LTU)

3. Frederic Lecanu (FRA)

3. Grzegorz Eitel (POL)

5. Suk Man Kim (KOR)

5. Rafael Silva (BRA)

7. Aleksandar Petkovic (SER)

7. Fei Wang (CHN)