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RESULTS -- Pan American Senior Championships 2011

Guadalajara, Mexico ::: April 1, 2011

Day 2

Team USA adds to medals on Day 2

of Pan American Senior Championships

April 2, 2011 -- USA Judo added a fist of medals to its take on the second day of the Pan American Senior Championships with Marti Malloy fighting very hard but getting inched out for gold by judo powerhouse Cuba with just seconds left on the clock.

Malloy’s silver, and three bronze won today by Nick Delpopolo, Angelica Delgado and Alexa Liddie, were added to the gold medal captured yesterday by World Champion Kayla Harrison and a silver by Travis Stevens, who recently won the super competitive Duseldorf Grand Prix. Kyle Vashkulat and Christal Ransom also took bronze medals yesterday.

“All the fighting and training we did in Europe is paying off,” said USA Judo’s Eddie Liddie, Director of Athlete Performance. “This team fought with a lot of heart. We’ve got a very bright future.”

Malloy (USA Judo National Training Site at San Jose State University), “had a career day and was just 17 seconds away from winning gold,” said Jimmy Pedro, head coach of the Pan Am team in Guadalajara. “She looked strong all day and had a huge win in the semi finals over Brazil by yuko with ippon seionage. The Brazilian had beaten Malloy in their two previous outings by ippon.  In the final, Marti executed perfect strategy against Lupetey from Cuba and dominated the entire match until she got caught with drop sode for yuko with 17 seconds left in the overtime period.”

“Nick Delpopolo, who trains under Jimmy Pedro at Team FORCE in Wakefield, Mass., “had a disappointing semi final loss to Brazil getting thrown with koshi garuma for ippon, but came back strong to win bronze throwing the Columbian for ippon with uchimata.”

Anelica Delgado, who trains under Jhonny Prado at Ki-Itsu-Sai National Training Center, Coral Springs, FL, “looked very impressive today, and fought the Cuban well in the semi-final until getting caught with sode for ippon,” Pedro said. “She dominated her bronze medal match against Columbia, and even after being up by three penalties she threw her opponent for ippon to make the podium of her first Senior Pan Ams,”

Annie Shiraishi of East Bay Judo Institute in San Francisco, finished with a “hard fought 5th going 2 - 2 on the day, losing to both Cuba  in the semi final and Brazil by yuko in the bronze medal match,” said Pedro.

-- Story by Ernest Pund