Member News

July 18, 2007

Junior Olympics Come to San Antonio This Weekend

(San Antonio, Texas) – With more than 700 athletes between 6 and 19-years-old descending on San Antonio, Texas, July 21-22, this year’s USA Judo National Junior Olympic Championships is expected to be not only one of the largest in recent history, but will include many young athletes who are outstanding players on both the junior and senior levels.

The tournament will be held from 9 a.m. until approximately 5 p.m. at Freeman Coliseum. 

In addition to the prestige of becoming a Junior National Champion, the stakes have been raised at this year’s event as the tournament’s point level has been raised from five to 10 – an important distinction for athletes accumulating points on the junior elite rosters in the hopes of qualifying for Junior Pan American Championship Teams.

Here’s a look at some of the faces you may see in the IJF-Junior (U-20) in San Antonio:  

Likely the only competitor to hold both a #1 junior and senior ranking, hometown player Brittni Bradford (San Antonio, Texas / Universal Judo) is a favorite to win the women’s +78kg division.  Bradford was a member of the 2006 Junior World Team as well as this year’s Senior Pan Am Championship Team.

Jeremy Liggett (Glenville, N.Y. / NYAC / USA Judo National Training Site at the Jason Morris Judo Center) has fought at 66kg for less than a year, having won a silver medal at the Senior Pan Ams in the 60kg division last May, but is a solid #1 in the division, having defeated the 2006 Senior National runner-up in the bronze medal round of the New York Open.  Expect Daniel Chow (Honolulu , Hawaii / Hawaii Tenri) to be one of Liggett’s biggest threats.  Although Chow doesn’t travel as often as many athletes, he is the reigning JO Champion and has fought well with all of the division’s juniors in the past.

Aaron Kunihiro (Covina , Calif. / San Gabriel Judo) made his breakthrough at 60kg in March when he became the first U.S. player to win a European A-Level event ever, taking gold in Coimbra, Portugal .  His success continued in April when he beat #1 junior Miguel Ballesteros (Miami , Fla. / USA Judo National Training Site at North Miami ) at the Senior Nationals.  The two could fight as many as three times in San Antonio with either one likely to take the overall title.

Reigning Senior Nationals medalists Nick Delpopolo (73kg) and Kyle Vashkulat (100kg), both of the USA Judo National Training Site at the Jason Morris Judo Center in Glenville, N.Y., will each be looking for his first JO title and both are considered the division favorites. 

In the women’s divisions, the non-Olympic 44kg might have the most depth as the top three seniors all are expected to compete.  Two-time Senior National silver medalist Veronica Prado ( Coral Springs , Fla. / USA Judo National Training Site at the Olympic Training Center) is the division’s top-ranked player, followed by 2007 Pan Am silver medalist Alexa Liddie (Colorado Springs, Colo. / USA Judo National Training Site at the Olympic Training Center) and 2007 National Champion Taylor Ibera (Honolulu, Hawaii / Hawaii Tenri).  All three girls have exchanged wins and losses since last summer’s junior season and most recently, Ibera beat both Liddie and Prado at the Senior Nationals.

Also watch for the 57kg division where the cross-town rivalry between #1 Angelica Delgado (Miami , Fla. / USA Judo National Training Site at North Miami) and Hana Carmichael (Wellington , Fla. / Budokan Judo).  The two go back and forth continuously with Angelica winning the finals of the High School Nationals in March.

The younger divisions also will include a solid mix of experienced players with a number of reigning JO Champions and former Pan Am Infantile Team members coming out to defend their titles and stake claims in new divisions.

But the question remains:  With every JO’s, a new crop of new athletes emerge and previously unknown players stake their claim on the junior circuit…  who will be this year’s newest young stand-out?

Find out in San Antonio.