Member News
November 10, 2007
Rousey, Matsumoto and Ambouroue Win Finnish Open
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48kg medals. |
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70kg medals. |
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90kg medals. |
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60kg medals. |
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73kg medals. |
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78kg medals. |
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+100kg medals. |
(Colorado Springs, Colo.) – Three U.S. players all won gold medals at the Finnish Open, a USA Judo Senior B-Level Point Tournament, on Saturday in Vantaa, Finland.
For Landry Ambouroue (Dallas, Texas / Ruben Martin Judo), a 2006 Senior Nationals bronze medalist, the 2007 season had been rather lackluster as the former #2 in the 90kg division fell all the way to #8 until this weekend when it all seem to come into place.
Fighting in one of the day’s largest with 22 players, Ambouroue won each of his five matches by ippon (instant win). Ambouroue won his first two matches in just over a minute total against Jukka Laitinen (FIN) and Amine Fellah (ALG). Ambouroue struggled in the quarter-finals against Akseli Halttu (FIN). Down by yuko (quarter-point) and waza-ari (half-point) scores, Ambouroue threw Halttu for ippon in the final 30 seconds.
Ambouroue then beat both Joakim Norling (SWE) and Jerry Lammasniemi (FIN) by ippons to win his first European gold medal.
Sayaka Matsumoto (El Cerrito, Calif. / NYAC / East Bay Judo Institute) also won her first European title, taking gold in the 48kg division with three wins by ippon – all in 90 seconds or less.
Matsumoto cruised through her first two matches against Durya Cibir (TUR) and Virge Tähemäe (TUR), to advance to the semifinals where she upset Oianca Blanco Etxeberria (ESP) who had just beaten eventual bronze medalist Jeanette Rodriguez (Coral Springs, Fla. / USA Judo National Training Site at North Miami).
In the final, Matsumoto defeated her East Bay teammate Ann Shiraishi (El Cerrito, Calif.) by ippon in just under a minute.
Ronda Rousey (Wakefield, Mass. / USA Judo National Team FORCE / NYAC / 70kg), the reigning World silver medalist, also beat her opponents in less than 90 seconds each to win gold.
After a difficult time in Sweden last week in which she failed to place, Rousey returned to dominating form to earn her sixth international title this year. After a first-round bye, Rousey beat Samantha Fletcher (GBR) and Kelita Zupancic (CAN) in just over 30 seconds each to advance to the final where she ousted Elina Paulman (FIN), a fifth-place finisher at the Rotterdam Super World Cup.
Michael Eldred (Fruitland, Idaho / Western Idaho Judo Institute) has become one of the most consistent male players in the United States, winning his fifth B-Level medal this year – the most of any U.S. male player – with a second place finish in the 73kg division.
Eldred advanced to his second European tournament final in 2007 with four preliminary round wins before losing in the finals to Iain Feenan (GBR), a fifth-place finisher at the Rotterdam Super World Cup in September.
Nick Kossor (Glenville, N.Y. / USA Judo National Training Site at the Jason Morris Judo Center) also advanced to the finals, placing second for the first time in a B-Level event in the 60kg division. After a first-round bye, Kossor won his next two matches by a koka in the quarter- and semifinals.
In the final, Kossor lost by a koka to Fatih Terim (TUR), a bronze medalist at the Swedish Open last week.
Anthony Turner (Miami, Fla. / USA Judo National Training Site at North Miami) won a bronze medal with a 2-1 record in the +100kg division with his only loss coming to Nodar Metreveli (GEO), the 2006 European U20 100kg Champion.
In the 78kg division, Katie Mocco (Glenville, N.Y. / NYAC / USA Judo National Training Site at the Jason Morris Judo Center) and Nina Cutro-Kelly (San Antonio, Texas / Universal Judo) both won bronze medals with two wins and two losses each in a round robin division.
Cutro-Kelly pinned Mocco for a waza-ari to win their match, but both players lost to Raimonda Gedutyte (LTU). Cutro-Kelly and Mocco each beat Monika Stampf (HUN) and Cutro-Kelly’s second loss came against Emma Fletcher (GBR) who Mocco beat by ippon in the next round.
Competition continues on Sunday with the men’s 66kg, 81kg and 100kg divisions and the women’s 52kg, 57kg and 63kg divisions.
Complete results are as follows:
Men’s 60kg
1. Fatih Terim (TUR)
2. Nick Kossor (Glenville, N.Y. / USA Judo National Training Site at the Jason Morris Judo Center)
3. Scott Malone (GBR)
3. Gonzalo Ibanez (CAN)
5. Juho Reinvall (FIN)
5. Tatu Saarinen (FIN)
Men’s 73kg
1. Iaian Feenan (GBR)
2. Michael Eldred (Fruitland, Idaho / Western Idaho Judo Institute)
3. Thomas Iburg (DEN)
3. Alexander Lubchenko (RUS)
5. Gatis Milenbergs (LAT)
5. Nathaniel Stapleton (GBR)
Also Competed: Nick Delpopolo (Glenville, N.Y. / NYAC / USA Judo National Team FORCE), 3-2; Radu Brestyan (Wakefield, Mass. / USA Judo National Team FORCE), 1-1; and Chuck Jefferson (San Jose, Calif. / USA Judo National Training Site at San Jose State University), 0-1
Men’s 90kg
1. Landry Ambouroue (Dallas, Texas / Ruben Martin Judo)
2. Jerry Lammasniemi (FIN)
3. Burhan Kocan (TUR)
3. Aleksandr Marmeljuk (EST)
5. Joakim Norling (SWE)
5. Akseli Halttu (FIN)
Men’s +100kg
1. Thormodur Jonsson (ISL)
2. Nodar Metreveli (GEO)
3. Christoffer Johansson (SWE)
3. Anthony Turner (Miami, Fla. / USA Judo National Training Site at North Miami)
5. Mustafa Akpinar (TUR)
5. Joe Delahay (GBR)
Women’s 48kg
1. Sayaka Matsumoto (El Cerrito, Calif. / NYAC / East Bay Judo Institute)
2. Ann Shiraishi (El Cerrito, Calif. / East Bay Judo Institute)
3. Oiana Blanco Etxeberria (ESP)
3. Jeanette Rodriguez (Coral Springs, Fla. / USA Judo National Training Site at North Miami)
5. Bianca Ockedahl (CAN)
5. Kaisu Redsven (FIN)
Women’s 70kg
1. Ronda Rousey (Wakefield, Mass. / USA Judo National Team FORCE / NYAC)
2. Elina Paulman (FIN)
3. Kelita Zupancic (CAN)
3. Michelle Holt (GBR)
5. Natalie Powell (GBR)
5. Camilla Soder (SWE)
Women’s 78kg
1. Emma Fletcher (GBR)
2. Raimonda Gedutyte (LTU)
3. Katie Mocco (Glenville, N.Y. / NYAC / USA Judo National Training Site at the Jason Morris Judo Center)
3. Nina Cutro-Kelly (San Antonio, Texas / Universal Judo)
5. Monika Stampf (HUN)
Women’s +78kg
1. Gulsah Kocaturk (TUR) |
