JUDO NEWS
2011 World Judo Championships
Host France Finishes with 6 Golds; Japan Loses Heavyweight Title but Leads Medal Count
Paris, FRA - The 2011 World Judo Championships were held at the Stade de Bercy in Paris from August 23 to 28. By the end of the tournament, Japan demonstrated their depth by claiming a total of 17 medals. Teddy Riner (FRA) captured his 6th World title and host country France finished with 6 gold medals. Kayla Harrison (USA) won bronze.
Day 1:
Haruna Asami (JPN), headed into the tournament as the top ranked -48kg player as well as the 2010 World Champion. Asami captured the first gold medal of the tournament over teammate and former World Champion Tomoko Fukumi (world ranking 2nd). Sobirov Rishod (UZB, world ranking: 1st) won the men's -60kg gold medal. Masashi Ebinuma (JPN, world ranking 5th) earned his first World title in a surprise finish. Ebinuma's win covered for the loss by last year's champion, Junpei Morishita (world ranking 2nd) loss in the 3rd round.
Day 2:
Misato Nakamura (-52 kg, world ranking 1st), Aiko Sato (-57kg, world ranking 2nd), and Riki Nakaya (-73kg, world ranking 2nd) continued to show the strength of the Japan's team by winning three gold medals.
Day 3:
Gervise Emane (FRA, world ranking 2nd) defeated last year's -63kg World Champion, Yoshie Ueno (world ranking 1st) with an unknown technique. Kim Jae-Bun (KOR, world ranking 1st) continued his lead in the -81kg division with a second gold medal. US hope Travis Stevens (world ranking 7th) lost in the first round.
Day 4:
France captured two gold medals in the -70kg and -78kg divisions. Lucie Decosse, the top ranked -70kg player, defeated veteran Edith Bosch (NED, world ranking 2nd) for another World Championship title. Audrey Tcheumeo (-78kg, world ranking 1st) won her first World Championships by defeating Tokyo world bronze medalist Akari Ogata (JPN, world ranking 2nd). Last year's gold medalist Kayla Harrison finished 3rd.
The -90kg title match was a rematch of the Tokyo World Championships, where 2010 champion Ilias Iliadis (GRE) once again defeated Japan's Daiki Nishiyama (world ranking 3rd).
Day 5:
Japan's Daiki Kamikata (world ranking 16th) defeated French great Teddy Riner (+100kg) in an upset at the last World Open, but lost in the first round to Grim Vuijsters (NED, world ranking 20th). Former World and Olympic Champion Keiji Suzuki (JPN) was eliminated early in the tournament. Riner defeated Andreas Toelzer (GER, world ranking 3rd) for a 5th individual gold medal. In the -100kg division, World Champion Takamasa Anai (JPN, world ranking 1st) was upset by a surprise tani-otoshi counter by Irakli Tsirekidze (GEO, world ranking 21st) in the third round, giving Tagi Khaybulaev (RUS, world ranking 2nd) the chance to win the title.
China dominated the women's +78kg division with former Olympic Champion Tong Wen (world ranking 4th) and Qian Qin (world ranking 2nd) taking first and second place. Tong defeated Megumi Tachimoto (JPN, world ranking 1st) in the quarterfinal in what may be a leadup to the 2012 London Olympics.
Day 6:
France won the men's and women's team title for a total of six gold medals at the world championships.
Complete results: www.IJF.org
Judo World Cup (July 1-2, 2011)
World Champion Kayla Harrison and US Champion Marti Malloy Win
Miami, FL - Athletes from around the world came to compete at the Judo World Cup and earn points to qualify for the 2011 Paris World Championships. In the women's divisions, world champion Kayla Harrison (-70 kg) and US champion Marti Malloy (-57 kg) of San Jose State won gold medals. Angelica Delgado (-52 kg) of Florida was the third American woman to medal by finishing 3rd. US men finished the tournament with one bronze medal won by Shintaro Higashi (-100 kg) of New Jersey.
Three Canadian men, Sasha Mehmedovic (-66 kg), Nick Tritton (-73 kg), and Alexandre Emond (-90 kg), won bronze medals. The women's team captured one silver and two bronze medals. Amy Cotton (-78 kg) finished just behind American Kayla Harrison in 2nd place, while Joliane Melancon (-57 kg) and veteran Catherine Roberge (-78 kg) finished in 3rd place.
Former -66 kg world champion Tsagaanbaatar Khashbaatar (MGL) won the -73 kg title; he may move up to this division at the coming World Championships. A top contender at the 2010 Worlds Leandro Cunha (BRA) won the -66 kg division. In the women's divisions, Romy Tarangul (GER) won the -52 kg division for a chance to improve on her 5th place finish at the 2010 Worlds.
Complete results: www.IJF.org
Judo Grand Slam (June 18-19, 2011)
Japan Dominated with Eight Golds, World Champion Kayla Harrison Wins Silver
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - Japan dominated the Judo Grand Slam by winning eight of fourteen gold medals. The Japanese men's team was led by 2010 World Champion Takamasa Anai (-100 kg), and was followed by gold medal finishes by newcomer Hirofumi Yamamoto (-60 kg), Riki Nakaya (-70 kg), and Takashi Ono (-90 kg). World Champion Keiji Suzuki (+100 kg) lost in the first round to home-town favorite Joao Gabriel Schlittler (BRA). Leandro Guilheiro (-81 kg) captured Brazil's second men's gold medal.
Japan earned four more gold medals in the women's divisions. Megumi Tachimoto (+78 kg) went from a 3rd place finish at the 2010 Worlds to a gold medal. 2010 World Champion Haruna Asami (-48 kg), Yoriko Kunihara (-70 kg), and Kana Abe (-63 kg) also won gold. Brazil's women also finished strong. 2010 Worlds 5th place finisher Erika Miranda (-52 kg) won gold in her division. At the 2010 World Championships, Mayra Aguiar (-78 kg) lost to Kayla Harrison (USA) and settled for silver, but here defeated Harrison for a gold medal in a rematch in front of a home-town crowd.
Complete results: www.IJF.org
Olympic Judo Champ Ishii wins US National Open Title(4/29,30/2011,Orland,Florida )
Orlando, FL - Satoshi Ishii, the 2008 Olympic heavyweight judo champion, competed at the US Senior National Judo Championships in Orlando, Florida on April 30th. Ishii qualified for the Open division where he could compete without US citizenship. In this bracket, he defeated American Kyle Vashcrat, ranked 27th in the world, with a powerful tai-otoshi (body drop) throw to win by full point, and dispatched his final opponent in 9 seconds with a deadly uchimata (inner leg lift) throw. Ishii won all of his matches in less than a minute and a half.
Ishii has mentioned that he would like to represent the US at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. USA Judo president Lance Nading said he would support Ishii with the cooperation of the Japanese Judo organization.
World Champion Harrison wins US Title, Ready for World Championships
US Senior Nationals Results
Orlando, FL - The 2011 US Senior Nationals and World Championships qualifier were held at the Orlando Convention Center. In the women's division, 2010 World Champion Kayla Harrison (Pedro Judo Club) came back from a short break from competition to easily win the title over Allison Clifford in the -78kg division. Former Junior National Champion, Janine Nakao, defeated Christal Ransom for the -63kg title.
Travis Stevens did not compete but still qualifies to represent the US in the -81kg division. Harry St. Leger won the -81kg title and Bobby Lee was 2nd. In the -100kg division, Shintaro Higashi from New Jersey qualified for the World Championships by defeating Kyle Vashkula (Morris Judo Club). Ken Hashimoto from San Jose State captured the -66kg gold medal. The former Junior Champion won a ticket to Worlds in the fight-off and will be heading to Paris, France in August.
Olympic Judo Champ and MMA Pro-fighter Ishii will compete at US. Sr.Nat'NL(4/19/2011,Tokyo)
Tokyo, JPN:-2008 Beijing Olympic heavy weight Judo champion Satoshi Ishii (24yrs) of Japan will compete at US. Sr. National Judo Championships at Orland Florida next week. USA Judo accepted Ishii's participation even Ishii is not American citizen according to Japanese sports news on April 19th. This US. Sr. National will be the selection for the US. World Judo teems which will be held on Aug in Paris France. Ishii was suppose to compete at the Strikeforce on April 9th at San Diego, Ca.
2011 EURO-ASIAN Martial Arts Forum (3/27-29/2011,Astana)
Judo Master N.Bunasawa (AJJIF 10th Dan) demonstrate Judo / Jukken-do in Kazakhstan
Astana, KZK - Nori Bunasawa, judo 8th dan red and white belt and Jukken-do founder (Maeda style Jukken-Judo), was invited by AJJIF and the Kazakhstan Sports Ministry to demonstrate judo and jukken-do at a forum. The former Japanese judo champion joined nine other martial arts masters from around the world in Astana, Kazakhstan on March 27-29. The Kazakhstan Jujitsu organization hosted this forum where many seminars and discussions showcased the knowledge and expertise of the masters.
http://www.ajjif.org/ajjif_video/2
2011 German Grand Prix (2/19-20/2011)
Japan Dominates with Six Gold Medals, French Favorite Riner Absent
Duesseldorf, GER - The 2011 German Grand Prix was the second best European judo championships this spring. Many world champions will compete at various international events to prepare for the upcoming Paris World Championships in late August. The tournament started with Japan's Hiroaki Hiraoka (-60kg) beating out Korean Jang Jin-Min. Hiraoka, the 3rd place finisher at the 2010 Tokyo World Championships, beat the Korean new-comer for an early gold medal for Japan.
Travis Stevens (-81kg) placed 7th at the Paris Grand Prix a few weeks ago, but rebounded here to beat Russian new-comer Murat Khabachirov. Stevens (US) captured his first German Grand Prix title in a large step towards the World Championships.
Andreas Toelzer (GER), the silver medalist at the 2010 Worlds, took advantage of 3-time World Champion Teddy Riner (FRA) absence in the +100kg division. Toelzer faced Japan's Keiji Suzuki and defeated the 3-time World and Olympic Champion on his home turf.
US hopeful Nicholas Delpopolo (-73kg) lost to Japan's Yuki Nishiyama in the quarterfinals to finish 5th.
In the women's divisions, Yuka Nishida (-52kg), Yoshie Ueno (-63kg), and Mika Sugimoto (+78kg) dominated their divisions. These three Japanese 2010 World Champions captured gold medals and made clear their intentions on another world title.
Tomoko Fukumi (-48kg), 2009 World Champion and 2010 World silver medalist, secured her position for this year's World Championships by defeating Charline Van Snick (BEL) for gold.
In the -57kg division, Rafaela Silva (BRA) defeated World Champion Kaori Matsumoto (JPN) in a surprise upset. Silva, 5th place finisher at the last World Championships, will likely face Matsumoto again this summer in Paris for a rematch. Kayla Harrison, US World Champion, did not compete.
Paris World Cup Invitational
French World Champ Riner Defeats Japan's Kamikawa on Home Turf
Paris FRA - Paris World Cup International Invitational Judo Championships were held in February. In front of a home crowd, French judo star Teddy Riner defeated Japan's Daiki Kamikawa by a clear ippon in the men's +100 kg final. In a controversial call at last September's Tokyo World Championships, Kamikawa won the final match by a split judges decision over Riner, who disputed the call and threatened to quit the sport.
This time around, Riner quickly grabbed Kamikawa and secured his grip to throw Kamikawa with a kosoto-gake (foot clip throw) for waza-ari (half point). Riner then held his opponent down with a kesagatame pin to finish the match in 1:21. After the referee delared Riner's win by ippon, the four-time world champion held his hand to his ear to elicit cheers from the home crowd, then walked over to the scoreboard and pointed to the result.
Two Japanese won gold medals on the final day in Paris. Megumi Tachimoto was triumphant in the women's +78 kg class and Daiki Nishiyama took first place in the men's 90 kg division. -100 kg World Champion Takamasa Anai lost in a 3rd round upset to Daniel Brata (ROM).
US. World Champion Kayla Harrison settled for 5th place, without showing a repeat of the skill that earned her a gold medal in Tokyo. Japan and host country France tied in the gold medal count with five gold medals each.
Two-Time Olympic Gold Medalists Ryoko Tani and Masato Uchishiba Bow Out of Competitive Judo
Tokyo- Ryoko Tani, one of the most prominent Olympic Judo champions,
announced she was bowing out of judo competition. Tani originally planned to
compete at the 2012 London Olympics, but was elected in July to Japan's
Congress as a member of the Democratic Party. Today the 35 year old Tani
announced her intention to focus on her political career and retire from
twelve years of judo competition. At her news conference, Tani mentioned it
was very difficult to fulfill all of her obligations as a politician and
athlete at the same time. She will work to further sports and environmental
development.
Since starting judo at 7 years of age in Fukuoka, Tani has captured 7 world
titles and 5 Olympic medals (2 gold, 2 silver, and 1 bronze). Tani has
dominated the -48kg division in Japan by capturing 11 consecutive All Japan
titles, winning 14 in total. Currently Tani is not ranked in IJF's new top
100 list, and without competing at the international level is not eligible
to qualify for the London Olympics.
Masato Uchishiba, another Japanese two-time Olympic gold medalist, announced
his retirement from judo competition as well. The 32 year old captured the -66kg titles at the Athens and Beijing Olympics as well as a silver at the 2005 Cairo World Championships.(10/20,2010,Japan)
2010 Tokyo World Judo Championships
Japan Devastates World with 23 Medals in all, and upsets 3-time World Champ France's Riner!
Tokyo-: This years World judo championships were just concluded on Sep 13th after 5 days of battle.
It turned out that Japan dominated with 10 golds, 4 silver, and 9 bronze medals! France took the 2nd position with 2 golds, 1silver and 3 bronzes. The U.S., Korea, Greece, and Uzbekisan followed by capturing 1gold apiece. This shows that the Mecca of judo is Japan with its depth of judo quality, and going back to the old ippon judo rules made it more of an advantage for Japan. That is, eliminating the koka point as in olden days, makes players fight for bigger points and throws. Big, spectacular throws are a Japanese specialty. Japan's depth of players is evident as many World champion level players are there waiting for their chance to take over. Japanese 4th position heavyweight Daiki Kamikawa is a great example of this. Fighting in the men's open division final, young Kamikawa (20 years old) from Meiji University upset three-time World champion Teddy Riner of France in the last minute. And Japan's lightweight women's -48kg and -52kg World champions Tomoko Fukumi and Misato Nakamura were both upset by their own country rivals Haruna Asami and Yuka Nishida, consecutively.
Another great story is American Kayla Harrison (20yrs), who captured the women's -78kg title over rival Brazilian Mayra Aguiar (19yrs) to become only the 4th player ever to become a World champion in U.S. judo history. Another U.S. hope Ronda Rousey did not compete at the Worlds as she has moved to MMA competition and will soon contract with Strikeforce. In the heavyweight divisions, French World champion Teddy Riner (20yrs) defeated all top world players as well as Japanese champions Kazuhiko Takahashi and Hiroki Tachiyama. Riner used a good right grip with a powerful haraigoshi hip throw to dominate his +100kg division, but in the open division final unknown Daiki Kamikawa surprised Riner with right sasae-tsurikomi-ashi (foot block throw) to catch his week side three times. It wasn't a score but was for sure good technical points. The split decision went 2-1 to Kamikawa, and was a big upset victory for Japan. Judo/Jiujitsu/Pro-Fighting Journal predicted many of the winners, including -100kg Takamasa Anai (Jpn), -81kg Jae-Bum Kim (Kor), -57kg Kaori Matsumoto (Jpn) and -63kg Yoshie Ueno (Jpn). Upsets included -90kg Takashi Ono of Japan who was defeated by veteran Ilias Iliadis of Greece for the title, and -73kg Hiroyuki Akimoto (Jpn) who won over World champ Ki-Chun Wang (Kor). Surprise winners in the women's divisions were at -66kg with Japan's Jumpei Morishita and at +78kg and Open with winner Mika Sugimoto (Jpn). This year's World Championship days were a Japanese festival.
(9/8~13,Tokyo)
Tokyo World Championships action pictures
Former Olympic Champion Anton Geesink dies at age 76
Utrecht, HOL -1964 Tokyo Olympic judo heavyweight champion Anton Geesink passed away on August 27 at his birth place in Utrecht Holland. He was the first none Japanese to capture a judo Olympic gold medal. He defeated Japan's best heavyweight and World champion Akio Kaminaga in front of shocked Japanese funs. 198cm, 120kg giant Geesink also captured the 1961 World and European titles.
After he retired from competition, Geesink became an IOC (International Olympic Committee) member in 1987 and served on the Olympic Committee. Unfortunately he was involved in a scandal with the Salt Lake City Olympics and received a warning in 1999.
His idea to introduce the blue color judo-gi (uniform) in competition was rejected initially by Japan, but finally the IJF adopted the color gi in international competition.
(8/27,Holland)
2010 1st World Cup Judo Championships In U.S.
Miami, FL: – With less than two years leading up to the 2012 Olympic Games, more than 300 athletes from 43 nations travelled to Miami to compete in the USA World Cup at the Doral Golf Resort & Spa on August 27-28th. Day one see the women's 48kg, 52kg, 57kg, and 63kg and men's 60kg, 66kg, and 73kg divisions, and Day two follows the women's 70kg, 78kg and +78kg and men's 81kg, 90kg, 100kg and +100kg.
A qualifier for the 2012 Olympic Games and the final major international event before the Senior World Championships that will be held Sept. 9-13 in Tokyo, this event drew athletes from nations including Brazil, Korea, Ukraine, Canada, Portugal, France, Australia and Colombia.
The U.S. men's team had trouble at this tough tournament but the women won three golds with -52kg Jeanette Rodriguez (Davie, FL), -57kg Marti Malloy (San Jose, CA), and high odds player Kayla Harrison (Wakefield, Mass.). Kayla has the go sign for the World Championships in Tokyo. U.S. men's top hopeful Travis Stevens (Wakefield, Mass.) was unable to capture a medal in the -81kg division, showing a red light for the upcoming World Championships. Four other U.S. men won bronze medals at -73kg and -90kg, adding to the U.S. medal count.
Team Canada made a great showing at the U.S. World Cup, with three wins in the men's lightweight categories, including -60kg Sergio Pessoa Jr. , -66kg Michal Popiel , and -73kg Nick Tritton, as well as the heavier -90kg division with Emond Alexandre. The Canadian women's team had a poor showing, with only one silver medal by -78kg Catherine Roberge and two other bronze medals.(8/27,28/Florida)
The regular U.S. Open Judo Championships were held the very next day on August 29th in the same location.
The First Annual USJF / USJA Junior Nationals At UC Irvine
Irvine,USA-This coming Saturday Jul 3rd and Sunday July 4th, Southern California Judo Association is hosting The First Annual USJF / USJA Junior National Judo Championships. Over 900 Juniors age between 8years old to 20years old boys and girls from all over the US and Canada will compete at the UC Irvine Bren Center.
Japan's Olympic and World Judo Champ Ryoko Tani Ran for Congress
Tokyo,Japan-6 time World and 2 time Olympic judo champ Ryoko Tani (formerly Ryoko Tamura) of Japan ran for the Japanese parliamentary election for congress on June 24th. She was running for Reveral Democratic Party, which took power over the regular Democratic Party last August, 2009. The 34 year old also announced that she will compete in the 2012 Olympic Games in England. (6/25 JPN)
IJF Sports Director F. Besson Died / 3 Local Californians: S. Okada, C. Fuertsch, G. Kakita Pass Away
Obituary:Paris, FRA- Francois Besson (FRA, 7th dan), the long time IJF (International Judo Federation) sports director died on Tuesday May 25th at the age of 63.
Three local Southern California Judo Organization (Nanka) officials passed away. Former Nanka president Shag Okada, 8th dan, passed away on May 13th. Also, 7th dan Chuck Fuertsch passed away on May 26th. He was working as a Nanka registration officer for long time. Finally, 7th dan George Kakita, a Sawtelle dojo instructor passed away on June 21st . (6/23 CA, USA)
USA Judo Adds Ju-Jitsu to National Tournaments
(Colorado Springs, Colo.) EIn an effort to help to continue to grow and promote judo and ju-jitsu in the United States, USA Judo recently announced that both gi and no-gi ju-jitsu divisions will be included in all national competitions.
The first ju-jitsu event will be held at the National Junior Olympic Championships in Gwinnett County, Ga. on July 24. This tournament will be open to all ages and all skill levels. Athletes will be able to find more information and register for the event on www.WorldGrapplingCircuit.com or www.USJudo.org.
USA Judo has expanded to include ju-jitsu under its auspices and the National Governing Body for the sport of judo will be known as USA Judo / Ju-Jitsu.
2010 U.S. Sr. Nationals- R. Rousey Returns To Win After 18 Month Off!
Myrtle Beach, S.C., May 1-2 - USA's top prospect for the 2012 Olympics is Ronda Rousey of Santa Monica, CA. Rousey won Bronze at the Beijing Olympics, but has been out of judo for the past 1 ½ years. This top seed at -70kg returned to this years Senior Nationals to qualify for the upcoming 2010 World Championships in Tokyo (September 9-13).
At this Worlds, every country is allotted two players in each weight category. In the U.S., this means the Sr. National winner and the next top seeded player. Rousey admitted to feeling more of the jitters this time than at any other Nationals, but she managed to win Gold and earn her World berth. Meanwhile, in the -78kg division, 19 year old Kayla Harrison of Wakefield, Mass. won her 4th Seniors to capture her second World team spot. Kayla is the 2009 U.S. Open winner and Junior World champ.
In the men's divisions, the top U.S. player is -81kg Travis Stevens of Wakefield, Mass. Stevens has previously medaled in two World Cup tournaments. In the final match here, he fought the 2009 U.S. Open winner Jose Bencosme (San Jose, CA.), whom he threw with a drop seoinage to catch his third National title.
In the Open divisions, foreign players are allowed to compete. Thus entered Tokuso Takahashi of Japan. Takahashi is a top Japanese fighter and Tenri University graduate. He also won gold at last year's U.S. Open in the -100kg division. Here he reached the final match, where he threw Anderson Leal of Houston, Texas for ippon with 15 seconds left in the bout.(5/2/2010)
2010 Men's All Japan-Newcomer Takahashi Upsets Olympic Champion Suzuki
Tokyo, Japan - The 2010 All Japan Judo Championships took place in Tokyo's Budokan Hall on April 29th with athletes competing in front of 12,000 spectators not just for titles but to represent Japan at the World Championships. Kazuhiko Takahashi, an unknown 25 year old Kokushikan University graduate, came from nowhere to defeat Athen's Olumpic gold medalist Keiji Suzuki in the quarterfinals in a huge upset. Takahashi faced Takamasa Anai in the semifinal match, and held last year's champion at bay with an aggressive judo style to win by 3-0 decision. Takahashi faced teammmate Hiroki Tachiyama (24 yrs old) in the final match and maintained his momentum. Although the 6'5", 300lb Tachiyama caught Takahashi with a sasae-tsuri-komi (lifting trip) throw in the middle of the match for a yuko point (1/4 point), Takahashi came back with a sharp osoto-gari (major outside clip) throw 4:43 into the match to tie the score. With 18 seconds left in the match, Tachiyama received a chui penalty, and Takahashi won his first All Japan Title and a spot on the world team.
2010 German Grand Prix- Japanes Women's Team Dominate Again. US Harrison wins Bronze
Dusseldorf - Dusseldorf hosted its first German Grand Prix Judo Championships as 355 players participated in the one of the toughest international invitationals. Phillips Hall was sold out as it welcomed athletes from 45 countries and spectators for the two day tournament on .
On the first day, two Japanese women, Tomoko Fukumi (-48kg) and Kaori Matsumoto (-57kg) won gold for an early lead in the medal count. The men's division was dominated by Mongolians Tsagaanbaatar Hashbaatar (-66kg, 2009 world champion ) and Sainjargal Nyam-Ochir who both took gold.
On day two, former world champion Keiji Suzuki (+100kg) fell a little short of a gold medal, but other Japanese players stepped up to the challenge. All Japan champion Takamasa Anai (-100kg) and Yuya Yoshida (-90kg) captured gold medals, bringing the Japanese men to the top in terms of medals with two gold and two silver. In the women's divisions, Japan won two more gold medals from Mina Watanabe (-70kg) and Megumi Tachimoto (+78kg) for a total of 4 gold, 2 silver, and 1 bronze to dominate the women's divisions. Germany was second in the medals with two gold from Claudia Malzahn (-63kg) and Heide Wollert (-78kg) as well as two bronze. Malzahn (26 yrs old) returned to competition by winning the title after a four year absence recovering from a knee injury.
American Kayla Harrison (-78kg) finished in 3rd place after receiving a penalty for false attack in her semifinal match against Japan's silver medalist, Ruika Sato.
IJF World circuit tournaments award ranking points to athletes as well as US$100,000 for medal winners.
2010 Paris Grand Slam- Japanese Women Dominate With Four Golds, Korean Men Lead With Two Gold. Travis Stevens (-81kg, US) Wins Bronze.
Paris, FRA- The 2010 Paris Grand Slam Judo Championships were held at Bercy stadium on February 6-7. The stadium was packed with 10,000 spectators who came to watch over 384 players from 55 countries and cheer on their favorite athletes. The first day of competition saw the Japanese women dominate their weight divisions by capturing three of four gold medals. 2009 world champion Misato Nakamura (-52kg) defeated Ana Carrascosa (Spain) with a kesa gatame pin to capture the first gold.
Emi Yamagishi faced teammate Tomoki Fukumi in the -48kg semi-final match. Yamanishi followed up her surprise 2009 world championship title by defeating Fukumi in the semi-finals with a osoto-gari throw during golden score overtime. This half point victory advanced her to the finals to face 2009 world bronze medalist and veteran athlete Frederique Jossinet (FRA). Yamanishi won Japan's second gold medal by throwing Jossinet with uchimata for a quarter point during gold score overtime.
Newcomer Kaori Matsumoto (-57kg) won Japan's third gold medal in an upset win against 2009 world champion Margane Ribout. Matsumoto's juji-gatame arm bar led to a full point victory that demonstrated Japan's depth.
Akari Ogata (-78kg) captured the fourth women's gold medal for Japan on the second day. IN the semi-final match, she won by penalty against Lucie Louette (FRA), and defeated teammate Sayaka Anai with a kosoto-gari foot block for a full point win.
Koread led the men's divisions with two gold medals from 2009 world champion Ki-Chan Wang (-73kg) and Joo-Jin Kim (-66kg), with Kim defeating 2009 world champion Tsagaanbaatar Hashbaatar (MON).
Teddy Riner (+100kg), the French judo star and world champion, captured the only gold for France by defeating Grim Vujisters of Holland.
Former IJF Presidents Park Yong-Sung found dead
SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA �EThe former chairman of South Korea's oldest conglomerate, the Doosan Group, was found dead Wednesday in an apparent suicide, the latest in a string of high-profile South Koreans taking their own lives.
"We presume Park Yong-oh killed himself and we are investigating the case," said Cho Hun-joo, an official at a police station near Park's home in Seoul where his body was found. Cho said a suicide note was found, though he gave no details.
Another official said that there was a mark around Park's neck and a necktie was found near his body, which he said also led police to believe the death was a suicide.
South Korean media reported that Park was under stress due to financial difficulties at a new construction firm he headed. The company has no relations with Doosan. Repeated calls to the construction company went unanswered.(11/03)
2009 JR.WORLD JUDO CHAMPIONSHIPS
Paris, France - The 2009 Jr. World Judo Championships were held over four days at Paris' Coubertin Gymnasium. From October 22 to 25, 278 men and 190 women from 68 countries represented their countries. This tournament was a test run for the new IJF tournament rules which are proposed for 2010. For example, the referee commission is changing shiai rules so that a competitor cannot directly apply double or single leg takedowns (morote gari) or fireman carry throw (kata guruma). Japan, Korea, and some European countries took advantage of this rule change, but countries like Mongolia, Cuba, Russia, and Georgia had a hard time adapting because they depend heavily on these techniques. As a result, Japan won 8 gold medals, 1 silver, and 5 bronze to completely dominate the tournament. France finished with 4 medals, and Ukraine, Korea, Brazil, and Hungary all captured 3 medals each. Although the rule change is highly controversial, it was intended to bring back traditional judo competition. (10/25/09, France)
Mongolian World Champ Competes At US Open International Judo Championships
San Jose, CA - The 2009 US Open International Judo Championships were held September 24-25 at San Jose's McEnery Convention Center. The highlight of the tournament was 2009 World Champion Hashbaatar Tsagaanbaatar (-66kg) from Mongolia who competed in the -73kg division and defeated Venezuelan Ludwing Delgado with a powerful morotegari (double leg takedown) for a full point win and the title. The upcoming Venezuelan national team took two gold medals with Ricardo Valderrama (-66kg) and Isis Barreto (-63kg). Former Japanese -100kg top contender Tokuzou Takahashi captured his first US Open title over Carlos Santiago of Puerto Rico with an okurieri-jime choke. Last year, Takahashi fail to win gold in two divisions and ended up with second in the -100kg and open divisions. American Kayla Harrison defeated Venezuelan Keivi Pinto with a sankaku gatame (triangle pin) for the women's -78kg title. (9/25/09,San Jose)
2009 WORLD JUDO CHAMPIONSHIPS- Japan Men's Team Wins No Gold for the First Time Since 1956
Rotterdam, Netherlands - The 2009 World Judo Championships were held at the Ahoy Indoor Hall August 26th - 30th. Japan, with the world's best men's team, ended up with their worst record ever. For the first time since 1956, the men failed to win any gold medals, but the women's team captured 3 gold medals to maintain the lead in the overall gold medal count. -48kg Tomoko Fukumi, -52kg Misato Nakamura and -63kg Toshie Ueno are all relatively new players at the international level. Fukumi spent many years in the shadow of 7-time World & Olympic champ Ryouko Tani. Toshie Ueno is the younger sister of former -70kg Olympic champion Masae Ueno. Korea and France followed Japan with two gold medals each. In the men's division, 2007 world champion (-73kg) Wan Kim-Chun and new comer (-90kg) Lee Kyu-Won from Korea won gold. 2007 world champion (+100kg) Teddy Riner failed to win Olympic gold in Beijing, but captured his 2nd World title. Along with Morgane Ribout (-57kg), these two French judoka also won gold medals. At this world championships, the gold medals were spread out over nine other countries as well. Colombia's Yuri Alvear captured her country's first world judo gold which was big news for the South American country.(8/31)
Obituaries- US/ Canada & Local-
Yoshi Senda, a 9th dan Canadian judo pioneer, passed away after a long battle with cancer on September 9th. Senda was the head instructor for the University Lethbridge and Kyodokan Dojo (Contact 780-492-9350 ).
Jiro Morishita, the head instructor at the Los Angeles Tenri judo dojo, passed away on August 30th after losing a battle that he fought against cancer for many years. His funeral was held on September 12th at Dendo-cho in East LA. (Contact 323-261-3379 ).
Mrs Sumiko Imamura (Mr. Haruo Imamura's wife) passed away on August 24th a day after an auto accident which occurred while returning home after the Golden State judo championships at the Pomona fair grounds (Contact 559-222-8813 ).
New Comer Takamasa Anai Captures All Japan Open Weight Title
Tokyo, Japan- The 2009 All Japan Judo Championships were held at the Budokan Hall on April 29th, the Showa Day holiday honoring the birthday of the former Emperor Hirohito. Satoshi Ishii, last year's champion, moved away from judo to MMA after winning the +100kg gold at the Beijing Olympics. At this openweight tournament, the All Japan Judo Federation hoped to find a +100kg successor to represent Japan at the World Championships in Rotterdam, Netherlands.
Takamasa Anai, a 24 year old Tenri University graduate and at his first All Japans, fought through to the semifinals. There, Anai faced Keiji Suzuki (28 yrs), a three time All Japan champion and the gold medalist at the 2004 Olympics (+100kg). 28 seconds into the match, Anai threw Suzuki with a surpriseing seoi-nage (shoulder throw) to win with a decisive full point.
Between Anai and the All Japan title was Yasuyuki Muneta, a veteran winner of two World Championships. The final match started with Muneta throwing Anai for a yuko (1/4 point) lead, but the younger Anai blocked Muneta's moves by attacking more aggressively, and Muneta received a shido penalty. Anai constantly attacked, limiting Muneta in what he could do and he got a second shido penalty which tied the score. With 30 seconds left to the match, even though Anai's barrage of attacks did not let up, he could not break the tie. Anai won by a 3-0 decision to become the 61st All Japan Champion. Two-time -66kg Olumpic champion, Masato Uchishiba was eliminated in the first round. Munet was selected to represent Japan as the +100kg contender at the 2009 World Championships. (4/29)
2009 USA Sr. Nationals In San Diego (CA. 4/17-18)
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Japan's Fukumi and Takai Capture Kano Cup Int'nl Titles
Tokyo, Japan- The Kano Cup International Judo Championships were held at the Yoyogi Gym on December 13 to 14. Tomoko Fukumi (23 yrs), aiming to represent Japan at -48kg at the next Olympics, won for the first time. Fukumi is the only player to beat world champion Ryoki Tani twice.
In the +100kg men's division, Youhei Takai defeated Beijing Olympic silver medalist Tangriev (UZB) in the semi-finals on the way to beating 2007 world champion Yasuyuki Muneta in the finals to captured his first Kano Cup title. Keiji Suzuki moved down from the +100kg to -100kg division.
Overall, Japan won 6 golds out of seven divisions for the men. Yuka Nishida (-52kg) and Kaoru Matsumoto (-56kg) also won gold, bringing the total to 3 golds in the women's divisions. The remaining gold medals were won by athletes from China, Russia, France, and Slovenia. -More US player's information available at: www.USJUDO.org (12/15)
2000 Sydney Olympic Gold Medalist Inoue Marries Higashihara
Tokyo - Kosei Inoue married fashion model Aki Higashihara (25yrs) on Oct 18th at the Teikoku Hotel in Tokyo. Around 350 guests came to celebrate the marriage of the 2000 Olympics gold medalist, including MMA fighter Akiyama, former rival Keiji Suzuki, Beijing Olympic gold medalist in swimming Kosuke Kitajima, Japanese baseball legend Shigeo Nagashima, as well as many actors.
Kosei Inoue has said he will study English and coach in London for next two years, then he and his family will return to Japan (10/19)
All Japan Judo Federation EXPELS Beijing Olympic Gold Medalist Ishii
Tokyo: All Japan Judo Federation team head coach Kazuro Yoshimura (56yrs) announced today that Satoshi Ishii would be expelled from the Judo world for life. Ishii has made several surprising comments to the public after returning from the Beijing Olympics. Ishii's father was surprised at his son's decision to fight MMA, but at the same time he was unsatisfied at the All Japan Judo Federation's decision. Many MMA organizations are already maneuvering to try to sign Ishii.(10/06)
Japan Dominates Women's Divisions With 4 Golds, Harrison Wins Gold For US
Bangkok, Thailand - The Rajamangala Indoor Stadium in downtown Bangkok hosted the 14th World Junior Judo Championships. From October 23rd to 26th, fourteen Olympic categories were contested by 500 young athletes from 87 countries. On the first day, two female categories (-48kg, -52kg) were contested, as well as male +100kg, followed by female +57kg and +63kg, and male -90kg and -100kg on the second day. Four divisions were fought on October 25th: female -70kg and -78kg, male -81kg and -73kg. The last day of the tournament featured female +78kg, male -60kg and -66kg. Most of the current champions from all five continental Judo Unions competed in Thailand. Currently, the biggest star is Frenchman Teddy Riner, the current Senior World Champion (2007), Junior World Champion (2006) and Beijing Olympic Bronze medalist (2008). Riner kicked off four days of competition by defeating Japan's Masaru Momose for his second Junior World title. On day three, Won-Jung Kim won the -73kg gold medal for Korea, and Kayla Harrison won a gold medal for the United States in the -78kg division. Russia and France both took home two golds in men's divisions, while Japan dominated the women's divisions with four golds and was followed by Brazil with two. The surprise result was Japan failed to capture any gold medals in the men's divisions. Kayla Harrison's comments: "It is an awesome feeling to win this gold. Ronda Rousey (Olympic 2008 bronze medalist and former junior champion) is one of my mentors. I helped here during the preparation for Beijing and she was also always supporting me. We train in the same club with Jimmy Pedro (two-time Olympic bronze medalist)", says the 18-year old Harrison, planning the next steps in her career. "I look forward to the next year World Junior Championships, and also the Senior World Championships. And, of course, I will work hard to be in London 2012." IJF Tries Out New Tournament Regulations
During the Junior World Championships held October 23rd to 26 in Bangkok, Thailand, the IJF Executive Committee members observed the results of three new suggestions for shiai regulations: the use of the entire mat (no matte), the exclusion of koka (the lowest judo score) and shortening the Golden Score to three minutes from five. Along with these changes, the athletes competed in a new pooling format, with repechage applying from quarterfinalists rather than semifinalists. More information available at: www.ijf.org
Gold Medalist Ishii Staying in Judo World
Tokyo: Beijing Olympic gold medalist Ishii held a press conference on October 7th to announce his plans to stay in the judo world. After All Japan Judo Federation decided to expel Ishii if he fought in a MMA fight, he decided to stay on the Kokushikan University judo team until he graduates. Ishii stated that finishing his schooling was important, and will hold off on plans to join the ranks of MMA fighters as he does not have the desire to teach or lead in the judo community. (10/07)
Beijing Olympic Judo Champ Ishii of Japan Announces Intent To Become Pro-Fighter
Tokyo: 2008 Beijing Olympic Judo gold medalist Satoshi Ishii (+220lb ) of Japan announced on Sept. 6 his decision to become a Pro MMA Fighter after the World judo team championships in Tokyo. After returning from Beijing, Ishii caused quite a stir among the Japan Judo Federation officials by saying at a press conference that he wanted to challenge MMA champion Fedor. Ishii started judo when he was at Seifu Jr High in Osaka, and continued till now as a student at Kokushikan University. He became the youngest All Japan Judo Champion in 2006 age at the age of 19. In 2007 he moved up to the +220lb division and captured both the Kano Cup and his second All Japan title. This year, Ishii beat Suzuki, the gold medalist at the Athens Olympics, at the All Japan. He also captured Olympic gold in Beijing. (10/06)
Beijing Heavyweight Champion Satoshi Ishii Wants to Challenge PRIDE and MMA Champion Fedor!
Satoshi Ishii returned to Japan August 17th after winning the heavyweight gold medal in Beijing. At a press conference at Tokyo's Narita Airport, Ishii announced "I want to go fight the strongest man in the world, wherever he is. Now I want to face Fedor." Does this mean Ishii wants to face the Russian MMA world champion and former Russian judo champion in a MMA fight or judo fight???
We will have to keep a close eye on Ishii's next moves
Ishii (JPN) Dominates +100kg, World Champ Riner Upset In Quarterfinals. China's Wen Tong Wins Women's +78kg
Day 7: In the +100kg division, Satoshi Ishii is the youngest All Japan title holder at 21 years of age, and is still a student at Kokushikan University. Read More Olympic Judo... Read More Judo... | | |
