| Member News
February 9, 2007
Five U.S. Athletes to Fight at Paris Super World Cup this Weekend
This weekend’s Paris Super World Cup is the judo equivalent of “let’s throw a party and make sure the who’s who is all there.”
The five U.S. athletes competing in Paris will rapidly find themselves in the midst of the best players in the world as Paris is considered by many to be the most difficult international event, ranked only slightly below the World Championships and Olympic Games.
With some divisions having nearly all of the 2005 World Championship and 2004 Olympic medalists competing, this weekend could be a sneak preview of who to watch during this year’s Worlds being held in September in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil as well as the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.
Ronda Rousey (Wakefield, Mass. / NYAC / Pedro’s Judo Center) enters the event as the fourth-ranked athlete in the world at 63kg, a division that also includes both the reigning World and Olympic Champions.
After a first-round bye, Rousey will face the winner of Danielli Yuri Barbosa (BRA) vs. Alina Pukhova (RUS). Also in Rousey’s quadrant are Kahina Saidi (ALG), Margo Wetzer (NED) and Virginie Taurines (FRA).
If she makes it through the first two matches, expect a battle of a semifinal as Rousey will likely either face Athens Champion and 2005 World silver medalist Ayumi Tanimoto (JPN) or Claudia Heill (AUT), the Athens silver medalist.
On the top half of the draw, look for Lucie Decosse (FRA) to advance to the final as the reigning World Champion seeks her second consecutive Paris title.
Valerie Gotay (Harlingen, Texas / Harlingen USA Judo National Training Site / 57kg) has done well in Europe during the past two weeks, winning the British and Belgian Opens, including last week’s victory over former World Champion Yurisleidis Lupetey (CUB).
Gotay, however, continues her long tradition of difficult draws with a first-round match against 2006 European Championships silver medalist Kifayat Gasimova (AZE). Winning both that match and her next against Lila Latrous (ALG) are imperative for further advancement as the quarter-finals are expected to feature a match against 2004 Olympic Champion and 2005 World silver medalist Yvonne Boenisch (GER), currently the top-ranked player in the world.
Also on Gotay’s half of the draw is Barbara Harel (FRA), the #2-ranked player in the world who finished second in Paris last year. On the bottom half of the draw are Sabrina Filmozer (AUT), the #3-ranked player who defeated Harel to win last year’s event, and Isabel Fernandez (ESP) who finished third at the 2006 event.
Eighteen-year-old Bobby Lee (Coral Springs, Fla. / North Miami USA Judo National Training Site / 73kg) will be competing in his first European Tour event. After a first-round bye, Lee will face the winner of the match between Damiano Martinuzzi (BEL) and Sami Al-Makni (QAT).
Lee’s quadrant also includes athletes such as Bryan van Dijk (NED), the third-ranked athlete in the world; Gennadiy Bilodid (UKR), 2005 World bronze medalist; and Ronal Girones Sago (CUB), 2006 Pan Am bronze medalist. Also on Lee’s side of the bracket is Olympic Champion Won-Hee Lee (KOR).
In the bottom half of the pool are World Champion Akos Braun (HUN) and World silver medalist Francesco Bruyere (ITA) who are both in the same quadrant.
Djamaldin Aliev (Greenwood Village, Colo. / Olympic Training Center USA Judo National Training Site / 100kg) has a first-round against reigning Junior World Champion Cyril Maret (FRA).
Among athletes to watch in opposite side of the draw will be Pan American Champion Oreidis Despaigne (CUB), who is currently ranked fifth in the world and Olympic bronze medalist Michael Jurack (GER).
Kenny Hashimoto (Thornton, Colo. / Northglenn Judo / 66kg) also has a difficult draw facing Elchin Ismaylov (AZE), a three-time European Champion and two-time runner-up in the first round.
Also in Hashimoto’s division are Yordanis Arencibia (CUB), the #1 player in the world; Miklos Ungvari (HUN), 2005 World Bronze medalist; Hiroyuki Akimoto (JPN), 2005 Paris Champion; Leandro Cunha (BRA), 2006 Pan Am silver medalist; and Oscar Penas (ESP) who placed fifth at the 2005 Worlds and 2004 Olympics.
All of the Americans will fight on Saturday with the exception of Aliev who competes Sunday. |
