USA Judo Events

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September 25, 2009 to September 26, 2009 -

USA Judo Senior B-Level Point Tournament

OTM Ju-Jitsu National Championships

U.S. Women Sweep Golds on Final Day of the U.S. Open

Nicole Jomantas - USA Judo September 27, 2009

(San Jose, Calif.) – Five U.S. players won gold medals on Saturday during the final day of U.S. Open competition at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center, including a four-player sweep of the women’s divisions.

After four consecutive years of silver and bronze medal finishes at the Open, two-time World Team member Marti Malloy (San Jose, Calif. / USA Judo National Training Site at San Jose State University) finally broke through to the top step of the podium in the 57kg division... more>

U.S. Open Day 2 Finals and Bronze Medalist List

Nicole Jomantas - USA Judo September 26, 2009

(San Jose, Calif.) – The second day of the U.S. Open Championships began on Saturday with competition in the lightweight and open divisions.

U.S. athletes won a total of 14 bronze medals during the early sessions with nine athletes still eligible for gold in the finals that begin at 5 p.m. at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center.

A complete list of athletes who will compete in tonight’s finals as well as bronze medalists is as follows:

Men’s Open

Leonardo Allen (BRA) vs. Iavor Kostadinov (Colorado Springs, Colo. / USA judo National Training Site at the Olympic Training Center / Boulder Judo Training Center)

3. Daniel McCormick (Wakefield, Mass. / NYAC / USA Judo National Team FORCE)
3. Luis Bermeo (ECU)... more>

U.S. Open Championships Day 2 Preview

Nicole Jomantas - USA Judo September 26, 2009

(San Jose, Calif.) – The U.S. Open will conclude on Saturday with competition in the lightweight and Open divisions at the McEnery Convention Center in San Jose, Calif.

Competition begins at 9 a.m. and gold medal finals will be held at 5 p.m.

A complete breakdown of the divisions is as follows. The Open division will be drawn during the tournament.

Women’s 44kg

After spending much of the past year fighting up to 48kg, three former U.S. Open medalists have returned to the lightest weight division this week. Veronica Prado (Coral Springs, Fla. / USA Judo National Training Site at North Miami) is the top seed, but unseeded 18-year-old Taylor Ibera (Honolulu, Hawaii / Hawaii Tenri) is a former Pan American Champion in the division and won her first U.S. Open title in 2006. Nineteen-year-old Alexa Liddie (Colorado Springs, Colo. / USA Judo National Training Site at the Olympic Training Center) is a former Pan Am medalist as well... more>

Bencosme and Harrison Win U.S. Open, Sell Takes Silver

Nicole Jomantas - USA Judo September 26, 2009

Jose Bencosme reacts to his first U.S. Open win.

(San Jose, Calif.) – The assistant coach for the USA Judo National Training Site at San Jose State University came out to compete at the U.S. Open in his hometown of San Jose with no expectations, but finished the day with a gold medal in front of a crowd filled with friends and family.

Jose Bencosme (San Jose, Calif.) had always been a fixture in the top five at the U.S. Open, but on Friday he made his first medal a gold one with a win over Mervin Rodriguez (VEN) in the 81kg division... more>

U.S. Open Day 1 Finals and Bronze Medalist List

Nicole Jomantas September 25, 2009

(San Jose, Calif.) – The U.S. Open Championships began on Friday with competition in the middle and heavyweight divisions.

U.S. athletes won a total of 10 bronze medals during the early sessions with three athletes still eligible for gold in the finals that begin at 5 p.m. at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center.

Reigning Junior World and U.S. Open Champion Kayla Harrison (Wakefield, Mass. / NYAC / USA Judo National Team FORCE) will compete in the finals of the 78kg division against three-time Pan Am medalist Keivi Pinto (VEN).

Katie Sell (Colorado Springs, Colo. / USA Judo National Training Site at the Olympic Training Center / Boulder Judo Training Center) advanced to her first U.S. Open final in the 70kg division where she will compete against Marie-Eve De Villers-Matte (CAN)... more>

U.S. Open Championships Day 1 Preview

Nicole Jomantas - USA Judo September 25, 2009

(San Jose, Calif.) – The U.S. Open will begin on Friday with competition in the middle and heavyweight divisions at the McEnery Convention Center in San Jose, Calif.

Competition begins at 9 a.m. and gold medal finals will be held at 5 p.m.

A complete breakdown of the divisions is as follows:

Women’s 63kg

The biggest surprise of this division looks to be the entrance of Kayla Chappell (Oklahoma City, Okla. / USA Stars). The 17-year-old became the #1 player in the 52kg division after winning the 2008 U.S. Open and represented Team USA as a 52kg player at the Senior World Championships in Rotterdam. Just over a month later, Chappell has moved through two weight divisions and will have the most difficult draw on the division with an opening round match against Isis Barreto (VEN), a seventh-place finisher at the 2008 Olympic Games. The winner of that match will face two-time Senior National Champion Janine Nakao (Wakefield, Mass. / USA Judo National Team FORCE) in the quarter finals.. more>

U.S. Open lineup to feature World, Olympic and Pan Am Medalists

Nicole Jomantas - USA Judo September 24, 2009

San Jose McEnery Convention Center

(San Jose, Calif.) – The U.S. Open Judo Championships will kick off on Friday with more than a dozen World, Olympic and Pan Am medalists among the estimated 250 senior elite players that are expected to compete in the two-day B-Level international tournament.

The tournament will include competition in senior elite divisions as well as kata (forms), masters (+30-years-old) and visually impaired divisions. The tournament also will be held simultaneously with the OTM Ju-Jitsu National Championships.. more>

U.S. Open Championships Returns to San Jose, Sept. 25-27

(Colorado Springs, Colo.) - Thirty years after the first U.S. Open, San Jose, Calif. will once again welcome athletes from at least 20 nations to compete in one of the premier international events in North America when the Open is held Sept. 25-27.

"San Jose is to judo what Eugene, Ore. is to track and field in our country and that is why we are so excited that San Jose has agreed to host the 2009 U.S. Open," said USA Judo CEO Jose H. Rodriguez (Colorado Springs, Colo.) "We all know that any time you think of a judo tournament in San Jose, you know that it will be a first class event."

The 2009 U.S. Open will include senior elite, masters (ages 30 and older) and kata (forms) divisions. For the first time, a visually impaired division also will be held at the Open.

Held in 1979, the inaugural U.S. Open Championships included a number of well-known players, including one of the most famous judo players of all time Yasuhiro Yamashita (JPN) who won his U.S. Open title shortly before winning the first of four World Championships and an Olympic gold medal.

In his +95kg final, the judo legend defeated San Jose State University's own James "Brewster" Thompson in the final.

The tournament will be held at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center, just minutes from the campus of San Jose State University, a school whose judo program has produced at least 11 U.S. Olympic Team members, including three Olympic medalists.

Home to the first two U.S. Open Championships, the city of San Jose has been the home of at least 11 U.S. Olympic Team members and six coaches in the sport of judo, including past USA Judo President Yosh Uchida (San Jose, Calif.) who led the first Team at the 1964 Olympic Games and former World Champion Mike Swain (San Jose, Calif.) who was a coach of the 1996 Team.

In addition to past U.S. Open Championships, the city of San Jose has played host to Junior and Senior National Championships as well as the 2004 U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Judo.

"This will be a win-win-win situation as the athletes will have a quality venue with unsurpassed management experience and the well-known legacy of former president Uchida and the World Champion and now USA Judo Board member, Mike Swain," Rodriguez said. "We look forward to a very successful competition and hope that everyone plans to be in San Jose for this fantastic event."

Tournament hotels will be the Hilton San Jose, which is located adjacent to the San Jose McEnry Convention Center, and the nearby Crowne Plaza Hotel.