Member News
November 2, 2007
U.S.
Athletes Win Five Gold Medals on First Day of Benito Juarez
(Colorado Springs,
Colo.)
– Team
USA
ended the first day of competition at the
Benito Juarez Championships, a USA Judo Senior D-Level Point Tournament in
Merida
,
Mexico
,
with five gold medals in the heavyweight divisions.
Five-time Pan Am medalist Aaron Cohen
(Buffalo Grove,
Ill.
/ NYAC / Cohen’s Judo) earned
his gold medal in the 81kg division with three wins in a combined total of 65
seconds. Cohen threw Davor Vasiljevic
(San
Jose, Calif.
/
USA
Judo National Training Site at
San Jose
State
University)
with a te guruma (hand wheel throw) in 12 seconds. Cohen’s next two rounds lasted eight and 45
seconds against Cuban and Mexican opponents, respectively. Cohen countered his Cuban opponent’s kata
guruma (fireman’s carry) with a throw for ippon before throwing his Mexican
opponent in the final.
Vasiljevic went on to place third, beating Akin Kirtulan (
Plano
,
Texas
/ Okuri Judo) in the bronze medal match. Robert Turnquest (
Honolulu
,
Hawaii
/
Kamehameha Judo) placed fifth on the other side of the bracket after losing
to
Cuba
.
Carrie Chandler
(Glenville, N.Y. / NYAC / USA Judo National Training Site at the Jason Morris
Judo Center) became the only current U.S. player to hold top-eight National
Rankings in three Olympic weight divisions when she won the 63kg division with
a 2-0 record.
Chandler
is the reigning National Champion in
the 52kg division as well as a medalist during the past two weekends at the
Rendez-Vous Canada and U.S. Open in the 57kg division.
Katie Mocco
(Glenville, N.Y. / NYAC / USA Judo National Training Site at the Jason Morris
Judo Center) won her first international tournament since moving up from
70kg to 78kg where she went undefeated, dominating her opponents on the
ground.
Like the three aforementioned gold medalists, Jonathan Leonhardt (
San
Jose
,
Calif.
/
USA
Judo National Training Site at
San Jose
State
University
) was a 2006 Pan Am Team member. Leondhardt won the round-robin +100kg division with Derek Alef (
Santa Barbara
,
Calif.
/ Santa Ynez Valley Judo) taking
second. Fifty-two-year-old Daniel Pagter (
San
Geronimo
,
Calif.
/ Cahill's
Judo
Academy
) and junior player Nicholas Gohn (
Livermore
,
Calif.
/ Amador Judo) each won bronze medals.
Katie Sell (
Harlingen
,
Texas
/
USA
Judo National Training Site at
Harlingen
) won her
first senior international title, taking gold in the 70kg division. Tomoyo
Yoshinaga (
San Jose
,
Calif.
/
USA
Judo National Training
Site at
San Jose
State
University
) and Jennifer Tutass (
El Cerrito
,
Calif.
/ Cunningham’s Judo Club) won bronze medals.
Atsushi Yoshinaga (
San Jose
,
Calif.
/
USA
Judo National Training Site at
San Jose
State
University
) won a silver medal in the 90kg division. Yuko Sin (Glenville, N.Y. / USA
Judo National Training Site at the Jason Morris Judo Center), a 2006 Junior
World Team member at 81kg, beat top-ranked junior Jacob Larsen (Santa Rosa, Calif. / Redwood Coast Judo) in the
bronze medal match. Alex Maratos (
Palmetto Bay
,
Fla.
/
Miami
Judo
Academy
) also fought for bronze, but lost to a Mexican opponent and placed fifth.
Joseph Aceto (
San Jose
,
Calif.
/
USA
Judo National Training Site at
San Jose
State
University
) won the silver medal in the 100kg division, losing to a Brazilian opponent
in the final.
Complete results are as follows:
Women's 63kg
1. Carrie Chandler (Glenville, N.Y. / NYAC / USA Judo National Training Site at the Jason Morris Judo Center)
2. Karina Acosta (MEX)
Women's 70kg
1. Katie Sell (Harlingen, Texas / USA Judo National Training Site at Harlingen)
2. Nidia Cordero (MEX)
3. Tomoyo Yoshinaga (San Jose, Calif. / USA Judo National Training Site at San Jose State University)
3. Jennifer Tutass (El Cerrito, Calif. / Cunninham's Judo Club)
Women's 78kg
1. Katie Mocco (Glenville, N.Y. / NYAC USA Judo National Training Site at the Jason Morris Judo Center)
2. Ana Carrillo (MEX)
3. Guadalupe Arias (MEX)
Women's +78kg
1. Vanessa Zambotti (MEX)
2. Guadalupe Mendoza (MEX)
3. Nancy Acosta (MEX)
3. Joellen Friesner (Albany, Calif. / Cahill's Judo)
Men's 81kg
1. Aaron Cohen (Buffalo Grove, Ill. / NYAC / Cohen's Judo)
2. Mario Murga (MEX)
3. Isao Cardenas (CUB)
3. Davor Vasiljevic (San Jose, Calif. / USA Judo National Training Site at San Jose State University)
Men's 90kg
1. Julian Gutierrez (MEX)
2. Atsushi Yoshinaga (San Jose, Calif. / USA Judo National Trianing Site at San Jose State University)
3. Carlos Castillo (MEX)
3. Yuko Sin (Glenville, N.Y. / USA Judo National Training Site at the Jason Morris Judo Center)
Men's 100kg
1. Carlos Honorato (BRA)
2. Joseph Aceto (San Jose, Calif. / USA Judo National Training Site at San Jose State University)
3. Manuel Millan (MEX)
3. Efrain Sanchez (MEX)
Men's +100kg
1. Jonathan Leonhardt (San Jose, Calif. / USA Judo National Training Site at San Jose State University)
2. Derek Alef
(Santa Barbara,
Calif.
/ Santa Ynez Valley Judo)
3. Daniel Pager (San Geronimo, Calif. / Cahill's Judo Academy)
3. Nicholas Gohn (Livermore, Calif. / Amador Judo) |
