Member News

December 20, 2006

Team USA Finishes Winless on Final Day of World University Championships

Sayaka Matsumoto (El Cerrito, Calif. / University of California – Berkeley / 48kg) and Melinda Swanson (Honolulu, Hawaii / University of Hawaii at Manoa / Open) each came up winless Tuesday on the final day of competition at the World University Championships in Suwon, Republic of Korea.

Matsumoto lost her first-round match to eventual bronze medalist Eva Csernoviczki (HUN) by a koka (smallest points), yuko (quarter-point) and two waza-aris (half-point each). 

Swanson, who finished seventh at +78kg on Sunday, lost her opening match to Sian Wilson (GBR) by a koka and two waza-aris.  Wilson had placed fifth in the 78kg division earlier in the week.

Matches of interest during the day included:

• Miklos Ungvari (HUN / 66kg), 2005 World medalist, struggled throughout the day, advancing to the final through a bye, a walkover, a quarter-final won on a shidos and a semifinal over Michal Popiel by a yuko.  Ungvari failed to produce a gold medal, however, losing by a koka in the final to Khash Tsagaan Baatar (MGL).
• Delphine Delsalle (FRA / 52kg), a silver medalist at the 2006 Paris Super World Cup and 2004 World Juniors, defeated Me Jung Choi (KOR) by ippon in the finals.
• Xi Quin (CHN / Open) and Katrin Beinroth (GER) had a rematch of their +78kg semifinal match.  Earlier in the week, Quin won that one in a 10-minute Golden Score match on flags.  Quin won their final match in the Open division on a penalty from Beinroth.  Malgorzata Gornicka (POL), the +78kg gold medalist finished fifth after losses to Beinroth and Ji Won Jung (KOR).

Complete results are as follows:

Women’s 48kg

1. Shugen Wu (CHN)

2. Oiana Blanco (ESP)

3. Eva Csernoviczki (HUN)

3. Laetitia Payet (FRA)

5. Chinatsu Oki (JPN)

5. Francesca Congia (ITA)

7. Severine Pesch (GER)

7. Katarina Pulkosnik (POL)

Also Competed: Sayaka Matsumoto (El Cerrito, Calif. / University of California – Berkeley), 0-1

Women’s 52kg

1. Delphine Delsalle (FRA)

2. Me Jung Choi (KOR)

3. Tatjana Trivic (SER)

3. Marina Yamaguchi (JPN)

5. Laurie Wiltshile (CAN)

5. Ricarda Rau (GER)

7. Jaana Sundberg (FIN)

7. Rahel Walser (SUI)

Women’s Open

1. Xi Qin (CHN)

2. Katrin Beinroth (GER)

3. Shino Yamamoto (JPN)

3. Ji Won Jung (KOR)

5. Anna Balashova (RUS)

5. Malgorzata Gornicka (POL)

7. Sian Wilson (GBR)

7. Tetya Andry (UKR)

Also Competed: Melinda Swanson (Honolulu, Hawaii / University of Hawaii at Manoa), 0-1

Men’s 60kg

1. Dimitri Dragin (FRA)

2. Renwang Liu (CHN)

3. Jae Hyun Yoon (KOR)

3. Tsuyoshi Izumi (JPN)

5. Sergiy Morokhovets (UKR)

5. Valtteri Jokinen (FIN)

7. Danil Biktimirov (RUS)

7. Branislav Schroner (SVK)

Men’s 66kg

1. Khash Tsagaan Baatar (MGL)

2. Miklos Ungvari (HUN)

3. Osamu Enomoto (JPN)

3. Gui Man Bang (KOR)

5. Michal Popiel (CAN)

5. Sugoi Uriarte (ESP)

7. Mansur Isaev (RUS)

7. Volodymir Rogalskyy (UKR)

Men’s Open

1. Hiroki Tachiyama (JPN)

2. Bjorn Bachmann (GER)

3. Frederic Lecanu (FRA)

3. Dmitry Sterkhov (RUS)

5. Chul Sung Baek (KOR)

5. Grzegorz Eitel (POL)

7. Aliaksei Kuralenia (BLR)

7. Aleksandar Petkovic (SER)