Member News

January 26, 2007

British Open Day 1 Preview and Draw Sheets

Eddie Liddie, USA Judo Director of Athlete Performance, and German Velazco, North Miami USA Judo National Training Site Coach, mug for the camera while trying to stay warm in London.

The coaches check out a pre-tournament practice session.

USA Judo Elite U-23 Team members Daniel McCormick and Travis Stevens hone groundwork during practice.

U-23 Team Director and two-time Olympic medalist Jimmy Pedro offers advice during practice.

Team USA warms up for practice with laps.

Team Hotel.

(L-R): Carrie Chandler, Kristen Allan, Josh O'Neil, Anna Palmer, Ann Shiraishi, Yuko Sin, Marina Shafir and Ronda Rousey hanging out in the hotel.

Yes, it is cold in London in January: Carrie Chandler, Sayaka Matsumoto and Nate Torra huddle up.

2006 Pan Am Team members Kirk Hoffmann and Ryan Reser model the latest in British fashion - metallic thermal "blankets."

Ann Shiraishi, Anna Palmer, Carrie Chandler, Sayaka Matsumoto and Grace Ohashi mug for the camera.

Harry St. Leger and Anna Palmer give Josh O'Neil a hug.

As the British Open, a USA Judo B-Level Tournament kicks off on Saturday, 19 Americans will compete against a field of more than 130 athletes in the first day’s divisions in London.

Among the highlights, expect one of the hottest matches of the day to be Ronda Rousey (Wakefield, Mass. / NYAC / Pedro’s Judo Center), the #4-ranked athlete in the world at 63kg vs. #6 Sarah Clark (GBR) in a likely semifinal.

Former World Team member at 66kg, Justin Flores (Glenville, N.Y. / Jason Morris Judo Center / San Shi) returns to European competition for the first time in two years.  In addition to fighting in the day’s largest division, his first fight will be a rematch of his U.S. Open final against Jean-Rene Badrick (GBR), the 17-year-old who ousted nearly all of the top Americans at the tournament.

Ryan Reser (Colorado Springs, Colo. / Olympic Training Center USA Judo National Training Site), the #10-ranked player in the world, returns to London to improve on his bronze medal finish at the last British Open in 2005.

A breakdown of the divisions is as follows:

Women’s 63kg (Estimated Division Size: 16)

The showdown of this division was expected to be a finals match between Ronda Rousey (Wakefield, Mass. / NYAC / Pedro’s Judo Center) and Sarah Clark (GBR).  Rousey comes in as the #4 ranked athlete in the world while Clark, the reigning European Champion, is #6.  Clark fought defeated a 16-year-old Rousey in the finals of the 2003 U.S. Open, but Rousey took the win in their next match-up at the Athens Olympic Games.  Many thought the two would meet at last year’s Birmingham World Cup, but Clark lost in the semifinals to Fanny Riaboff who Rousey beat to become the first U.S. woman in nearly 10 years to win an A-level title.

After the completion of the draws on Friday, though, Rousey and Clark found themselves on the same half of the draw, meaning that what is expected to be the best fight of the tournament will likely take place during the semis.

Other Americans to Watch: Kristen Allan (Springfield, Va. / Sport Judo) has been inconsistent internationally, but had an outstanding performance at the Finnish Open in November where she won the silver medal.  If she brings the same level of intensity to London, she could fare well.

Women’s 70kg (Estimated Division Size: 17)

Kayla Harrison (Middletown, Ohio / Renshuden Judo) has been known to produce big wins, including an upset of then-#1 Katie Mocco (Glenville, N.Y. / NYAC / Jason Morris Judo Center) en route to winning the 2006 Senior Nationals as a 15-year-old.  And in October she threw 2005 Pan American Champion Diana Chala (ECU) in the first 10 seconds of their U.S. Open match en route to winning gold, so a trip to the medal rounds wouldn’t be unheard of here.

Harrison’s biggest (or at least earliest) challenge will be Gemma Gibbons (GBR), a 20-year-old who finished third at the Tre-Torri International in June and fifth at the Hamburg Super World Cup.  

On the other side of the draw are Sally Conway (GBR) who finished second at the 2006 Junior Worlds and Kelita Zupancic (CAN) who finished third at the U.S. Open.  Harrison and Zupancic fought at the 2006 USA Judo Junior Cup with Harrison taking the last-second win.

Women’s 78kg (Estimated Division Size: 7)

In a division with three Americans, the odds are good that at least one will advance to the semi-finals.  Marina Shafir (Latham, N.Y. / Jason Morris Judo Center) has the preferred half of the draw which is done on a two-pool system in which the top two athletes from each pool advance to the semis.  In Shafir’s pool, she will fight both Sian Wilson (GBR) and Caroline Kinnane (GBR) in a round-robin.  Wilson won bronze medals at the 2006 Birmingham World Cup and the 2005 Belgium Ladies Open while Kinnane is Britain’s reigning bronze medalist.

In the other round-robin, Michelle Rogers (GBR) is the heavy division favorite as a three-time European Championships medalist.  Marylise Levesque (CAN), a 2006 U.S. Open and World University Championships silver medalist also is expected to do well.  Lisa Uemura (Salinas, Calif. / Salinas Judo Club) and Asma Sharif (Wakefield, Mass. / Team FORCE), both fifth-place finishers at the 2006 U.S. Open, round out the second pool.

Women’s +78kg (Estimated Division Size: 6)

Brittni Bradford (San Antonio, Texas / Universal Judo), a Junior World Team member and 2006 U.S. Open medalist, will be embarking on her first European Senior tournament this weekend with round-robin pool matches (in the system described above) against Ronda Sturley (GBR), a bronze medalist at the 2005 British Open, and junior Ashley Fleming (GBR).

Simone Callender (GBR), a 10-time World Cup medalist, is clearly the class of this field in the other pool and favored for gold on Saturday.

Men’s 60kg (Estimated Division Size: 20)

Nick Kossor (Glenville, N.Y. / Jason Morris Judo Center) will be making a bid for his first B-Level medal after finishing fifth at both the 2006 Rendez-Vous Canada and the U.S. Open last fall.  

Among the athletes in the division is Sergio Pessoa Jr. (CAN) who beat Kossor in the bronze medal match at the U.S. Open.

Two Portugese players are at the forefront of the division with Joao Cardoso (POR), a medalist at the Lisbon World Cup and the 2005 Bucharest World Cup Champion, being the likely favorite.  Nuno Carvalho also should fare well after medaling at the Swedish and Finnish Opens in November.

Damien Bomboir (BEL), a silver medalist at last year’s Boras World Cup and James Millar (GBR), a past Champion at both the U.S. Open and Rendez-Vous Canada, round out a tough division.  

Men’s 66kg (Estimated Division Size: 37)

Much like in the United States, the 66kg division is a web of who’s-beaten-who on which continent on which day with a whole cast of characters capable of doing well on any given day.  Justin Flores (Glenville, N.Y. / Jason Morris Judo Center / San Shi) is one of the United States’ top medal prospects, but a combination of college and injuries have kept the 27-year-old out of Europe since the 2005 Tour.  Flores fought well during the fall, winning silver medals at both the Rendez-Vous Canada and the U.S. Open, but several of his past opponents will be making an appearance in London this weekend…

After a first-round bye, Flores’ second-round match pits him against Jean-Rene Badrick (GBR).  Badrick is only 17-years-old, but made a scene in October when he won the U.S. Open, defeating nearly all of the top Americans in the process as he ousted Flores in the final, 2006 National Champion Taylor Takata (Harlingen, Texas / Harlingen USA Judo National Training Site) in the semifinals and 2006 Nationals silver medalist Nate Torra (El Cerrito, Calif. / East Bay Judo Institute) in the quarter-finals.  

Takata, who earned the #1 U.S. ranking after winning bronze at the 2005 British Open, struggled during the fall season.  Among his foes was Canadian National Champion Michal Popiel who beat Takata in the repechage of the Swedish Open and will be hunting for his first senior European medal on Saturday.

Colin Oates (GBR), who beat Takata en route to winning the 2005 British, also will be back this year.

Gabriel Bengtsson (SWE) is a two-time World Cup Champion, but finished third at the Rendez-Vous Canada after losing to Flores. 

Diogo Cesar, one of five Portugese athletes in the division, beat Josh O’Neil (Colorado Springs, Colo. / Olympic Training Center USA Judo Nacional Training Site) in the repechage of the Finnish Open in November en route to a bronze medal finísh.  

Earlier in the fall, O’Neil nearly advanced to the medal rounds at the U.S. Open, but lost a controversial match to Flores before finishing seventh.

Portugal’s Tiago Lopes, a medalist at the 2006 Boras World Cup; James Ridd; Miguel Tome; and Rui Coelho round out the list of athletes to watch in the division.

Other Americans to Watch: Jeremy Liggett (Glenville, N.Y. / NYAC / Jason Morris Judo Center) won a silver at the Pan American Championships at 60kg, but moved up to 66kg in the fall.  The former U.S. #1 at 60kg has limited experience in his new division, but will be interesting to watch in his first Senior European outing.

Men’s 73kg (Estimated Division Size: 34)

Each of the United States’ top three players have a chance to fight for a medal in London, but what may prove to be most interesting is whether any of the three encounters the others in the draw.

Ryan Reser (Colorado Springs, Colo. / Olympic Training Center USA Judo National Training Site) is the #10-ranked player in the world after two World Cup silver medals in 2006.  At the 2005 British Open, Reser finished third while top-ranked junior Bobby Lee (Coral Springs, Fla. / North Miami USA Judo National Training Site) fought for his first senior international medal, losing a close match to Iaian Feenan (GBR) in the bronze medal round. 

Feenan is slated to compete this weekend as well as Matthew Purssey, Great Britain’s reigning 81kg champion who won the 73kg division in 2005 who Reser will likely fight in the quarter-finals.  Purssey, who often fights 81kg at domestic events, finished fifth at the Rotterdam World Cup earlier this year, and also beat Lee during the last British Open.

Since 2005, Lee has come a long way, winning his first Senior Nationals medal in April and taking the U.S. Open title over two-time Pan American Champion Chuck Jefferson (San Jose, Calif. / San Jose State University).  Jefferson, the only American to beat Reser since two-time Olympic medalist Jimmy Pedro, hadn’t competed in a major event since he won the 2005 Senior Nationals when he upset Reser again in October to advance to the U.S. Open finals.  

Other Americans to Watch: Radu Brestyan (Wakefield, Mass. / Team FORCE) sat out the fall season after an injury, returning to international competition for the first time since last spring.  Michael Eldred (Fruitland, Idaho / Western Idaho Judo Institute) finished ninth at this event in 2005 with a 2-2 record while Junior World Team member AJ Silverman (Glenville, N.Y. / Jason Morris Judo Center) has moved up to 73kg from 66kg.