Member News

November 4, 2007

Eldred Wins Bronze at Sweden Open  

Michael Eldred (far right) receives his bronze medal.

If there’s ever a time for an athlete to hit his stride, the year leading up to an Olympic Games is it.   

In 2006, Michael Eldred (Fruitland, Idaho / Western Idaho Judo Institute / 73kg) was unofficially “the guy with potential to mess up someone’s day.”  A medalist at the Senior Nationals that year, Eldred could shake up a domestic division, but he had never won a major senior international medal.  

Even when he placed in the top three at Nationals, Eldred was still the young, quiet player who was often overshadowed during discussions of the who’s who by his flashier, better-known counterparts.  

This year, Eldred, a member of the USA Judo Elite U-23 Team, has now staked his claim as the new #2 in the division, earning more B-Level medals than any player in the 73kg division other than Pan American Games Champion Ryan Reser (Colorado Springs, Colo. / USA Judo National Training Site at the Olympic Training Center).  

Perhaps a player who should be referred to now as “Mr. Consistent,” Eldred has medaled in nearly every event he’s entered this year.  The 22-year-old kicked off the year with a silver medal at the British Open in January and his finish at the Swedish Open on Sunda in Boras marks his third bronze medal in as many weeks after placing third at the U.S. Open and the Rendez-Vous Canada.  

None of Eldred’s first four opponents could score on him and Eldred ended his first each match with an ippon (instant win) against Heikki Packalen (FIN) and Damien Haldi (SUI), Fabian Seidlmeier (GER).  Eldred’s quarter-final match against Michael Mayr (AUT) went the full five minutes, but, like the others, Mayr also couldn’t produce a score and Eldred beat the 2007 European U20 Championships medalist by two kokas (smallest points) and a waza-ari (half-point).  

In the semifinals, Eldred dropped his only match of the day, losing to Lee Shinkin (GBR) by ippon.  

Eldred wasn’t the only U.S. athlete to fight for a medal at the Senior B-Level Point Tournament, however as his USA Judo Elite U-23 Teammate Marti Malloy ( San Jose , Calif. / USA Judo National Training Site at San Jose state University) also fought for bronze, but placed fifth with a 4-2 record.  

Malloy, who moved up to the 63kg division earlier this year and went on to place ninth at the World Championships in September, won her first match against Emilie-Claude Leroux (CAN) by ippon to advance to the second round against Maria Lindberg (SWE).  One of Sweden’s stars in the sport and a two-time World Cup medalist last year, Lindberg is ordinarily a 57kg player and frequent opponent of three-time National Champion Valerie Gotay (Harlingen, Texas / USA Judo National Training Site at Harlingen) who last beat Lindberg at this event in 2006.  

Malloy beat Lindberg by ippon in the first minute, but her quarter-final match against eventual silver medalist Samantha Hari (SUI) would go into Golden Score (overtime) after both athletes scored yukos in the regulation period.  Malloy lost the match by a koka and dropped down to the repechage.  

In the loser’s pool, Malloy defeated Selda Karadag (TUR) and Marina Draskovic (CRO) to advance to the bronze medal match where she lost to Hannah Wahlberg (SWE) to place fifth.  

Radu Brestyan ( Wakefield , Mass. / USA Judo National Team FORCE) and Nick Delpopolo (Glenville, N.Y. / NYAC / USA Judo National Training Site at the Jason Morris Judo Center), the Rendez-Vous Canada Champion and silver medalist, respectively, each won his first two preliminary rounds before losing in the third.  

Brestyan, now the #3-ranked U.S. player in the division, beat Alex Farbon (GBR) and Fredrik Andreasson (SWE) in the first two rounds before losing to Vasile Cojoc (ROM).  Brestyan and Cojoc both racked up scores throughout the match with Brestyan earning a waza-ari and two kokas and Cojoc scoring a waza-ari and the yuko that would win him the match.  

World silver medalist Ronda Rousey (Wakefield, Mass. / USA Judo National Team FORCE / NYAC / 70kg) was a favorite coming into the day to win her second consecutive Swedish Open title after taking gold in the 63kg division last year.  

Rousey defeated Anna Vikingsdottir (ISL), a 2006 Finnish Open medalist who Rousey also beat at the U.S. Open two weeks ago, less than two minutes into the first round.  Rousey looked to be headed for what was the most anticipated match of the day – a quarter-final round with Lucie Decosse (FRA), the reigning World silver medalist in the 63kg division – but she first had to get through her second round against Samantha Lowe (GBR).  The match went to Golden Score before Rousey lost by a koka a minute and a half into the overtime period.  

Ironically, Decosse also lost her second round match, but continued through to the repechage while Rousey was eliminated from further competition.  

Four U.S. players all lost in the first round and were not carried through to the repechage.  

Reigning National Champion Justin Flores (Glenville, N.Y. / USA Judo National Training Site at the Jason Morris Judo Center) had a close first-round 66kg match with Dan Facie (ROM), the 2006 European U-23 and U20 Champion, scoring a yuko, but lost by a waza-ari.  

Chuck Jefferson ( San Jose , Calif. / USA Judo National Training Site at San Jose State University), a medalist during the last two weeks at the Rendez-Vous Canada and U.S. Open, was down by a yuko score to junior Jan Gosiewski (GBR) when he lost by ippon two minutes into the match.  

Complete results are as follows:

Men’s 60kg

1. Craig Fallon

2. Reinhold Puhringer (AUT)

3. Gavin Davies (GBR)

3. Fatih Terim (TUR)

5. Pedro Jacinto (POR)

5. Graham Trinder (GBR)

7. Brett Caswell (GBR)

7. Oliver Haider (AUT)

Also Competed: Nick Kossor ( Glenville , N.Y. / USA Judo National Training Site at the Jason Morris Judo Center ), 0-1

Men’s 66kg

1. Colin Oates (GBR)

2. Nils Dochow (GER)

3. Diogo Cesar (POR)

3. Patrick Sieger (GER)

5. Dragan Crnov (CRO)

5. James Ridd (GBR)

7. Dan Fasie (ROM)

7. Niko-Tapio Niemela (FIN)

Also Competed: Justin Flores ( Glenville , N.Y. / USA Judo National Training Site at the Jason Morris Judo Center ), 0-1

Men’s 73kg

1. Lee Shinkin (GBR)

2. Manuel Mueller (GER)

3. Michael Eldred ( Fruitland , Idaho / Western Idaho Judo Institute)

3. Fabian Seidlmeier (GER)

5. Johannes Herzig (GER)

5. Tomasz Krecielewski (POL)

7. Vasile Cojoc (ROM)

7. Thomas Iburg (DEN)

Also Competed: Radu Brestyan ( Wakefield , Mass. / USA Judo National Team FORCE), 2-1; Nick Delpopolo ( Glenville , N.Y. / NYAC / USA Judo National Training Site at the Jason Morris Judo Center ), 2-1; and Chuck Jefferson ( San Jose , Calif. / USA Judo National Training Site at San Jose State University ), 0-1  

Women’s 63kg

1. Esther Stam (NED)

2. Samantha Hari (SUI)

3. Maude-Helene Benoit (CAN)

3. Hannah Wahlberg (SWE)

5. Johanna Ylinen (FIN)

5. Marti Malloy ( San Jose , Calif. / USA Judo National Training Site at San Jose State University )

7. Connie Ramsay (GBR)

7. Marina Draskovic (CRO)  

Also Competed: Emily Lilly ( Camarillo , Calif. / Sawtelle Judo), 0-1  

Women’s 70kg

1. Kerstin Thiele (GER)

2. Gaelle Possamai (FRA)

3. Linda Bolder (NED)

3. Lucie Decosse (FRA)

5. Elisabeth Greve (GER)

5. Iliana Marzok (GER)

7. Elina Paulman (FIN)

7. Camila Soder (SWE)

Also Competed: Ronda Rousey ( Wakefield , Mass. / USA Judo National Team FORCE / NYAC), 1-1

Women’s 78kg

1. Stephanie Possamai (FRA)

2. Josefine Vostry (GER)

3. Annika Heise (GER)

3. Jacqueline Schrank (GER)

Women’s +78kg

1. Abbie Cunningham (GBR)

2. Simone Callender (GBR)

3. Corina Iordache (ROM)