For Immediate Release
September 4, 2007
Contact: John Miller, 303-547-2004
( Denver, Colo. ) Colorado athletes won eleven medals at the Fall Classic National Championships and four medals the National Ladder Tournament,
held last weekend in Coral Springs, Florida. The Fall Classic is the first domestic tournament at which athletes can earn points
toward the Olympic Trials, to be held next June. The top 8 athletes in each weight divisions at the close of the National
Championships next April will be invited to the trials.
Colorado Highlights at the Fall Classic Nationals:
Men's 60 kg:
Josh O’Neil ( Colorado Springs , Colo. / USA Judo National Training Site at the Olympic Training Center ) was one of the day’s
standouts. A former 66kg Senior Nationals medalist, O’Neil spent the summer moving down to 60kg prior to the German Open where he
defeated one of the top-five players at the 2005 World Championships to place fifth in one of Europe’s most difficult tournaments.
Although only the division’s fourth seed, O’Neil defeated the 2006 National Champion, Rafael Ramos (Union City, N.J. / Camal
Judo), in his first match, before losing a close match to 2007 Pan Am Championships Team member Nick Kossor (Glenville, N.Y. / USA
Judo National Training Site at the Jason Morris Judo Center). Josh fought back up through the loser's pool to meet Kossor again
in the true double elimination format. O’Neil won that match, leaving them both with one loss. So, they fought a third match
against each other. O’Neil was down to Kossor by two penalties with just over a minute remaining when he attacked and Kossor for
ippon (instant win) to win the division.
Men's 66kg:
In this division, the history of close contests continued as frequent rivals 2006 Senior National Champion Taylor Takata (Colorado
Springs, Colo. / USA Judo National Training Site at the Olympic Training Center) and Kenny Hashimoto (San Jose, Calif. / USA Judo
National Training Site at San Jose State University/Norhglenn Judo Club) faced off yet again in the finals. In the fourth minute
of their first match, Takata was given a penalty that would win the match for Hashimoto. Takata won the loser's pool to advance
to another fight against Kenny Hashimoto.
In their second fight, Hashimoto was up by a two scores when Takata committed a shido that gave another score to Hashimoto. After
several more exchanges of points during the final minute, Hashimoto scored again with 10 seconds remaining and won both the match
and the gold medal.
Women's +78kg and Open:
Heidi Moore ( Englewood , Colo. / Denver Judo), dominated two divisions, winning both the women's +78kg and Open divisions.
Moore went 4-0 in the +78 division, winning three of her four matches by Ippon (instant win). After wining a full 5 minute match
against her own student, Corinne Vannatta (Denver, Colo. /Denver, Judo), she pinned, choked, and threw her next three opponents
for the gold medal. In the Open division, Moore pinned her first opponent and arm-locked her second, both instant wins, to secure
the gold medal. Moore's 6 matches took place within a 60 minute period. Heidi will represent the USA in the 2007 World Judo
Championships in the Open division Next week (September 13-16) in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil.
Colorado athletes who placed in the top 5 in the Fall Classic Nationals:
Women’s 44kg
3. Alexa Liddie ( Colorado Springs , Colo. / USA Judo National Training Site at the Olympic Training Center )
Women’s 52kg
1. Anna Palmer ( Colorado Springs , Colo. / USA Judo National Training Site at the Olympic Training Center )
2. Meg Maceau ( Colorado Springs , Colo. / USA Judo National Training Site at the Olympic Training Center )
Women’s 57kg
2. Michelle Haggerty ( Colorado Springs , Colo. / USA Judo National Training Site at the Olympic Training Center )
Women’s 63kg
3. Christal Ransom ( Colorado Springs , Colo. / USA Judo National Training Site at the Olympic Training Center )
Women’s 70kg
5. Jessica Lockfeld ( Denver , Colo. / Denver Judo )
Women’s +78kg
1. Heidi Moore ( Englewood , Colo. / Denver Judo )
Women’s Open
1. Heidi Moore ( Englewood , Colo. / Denver Judo )
5. Corinne Vannatta ( Denver, Colo. /Denver, Judo )
Men’s 55kg
3. Keith Beauvais ( Thornton , Colo. / Northglenn Judo)
Men’s 60kg
1. Josh O’Neil ( Colorado Springs , Colo. / USA Judo National Training Site at the Olympic Training Center )
Men’s 66kg
1. Kenny Hashimoto ( San Jose, Calif. / Northglenn Judo/USA Judo National Training Site at San Jose State University )
2. Taylor Takata ( Colorado Springs , Colo. / USA Judo National Training Site at the Olympic Training Center )
4. Joseph (Seiji) Hashimoto ( San Jose, Calif. / Northglenn Judo/USA Judo National Training Site at San Jose State University )
Men’s 81kg
5. Lucas Mignogna ( Golden, Colo. / Northglenn Judo Club )
5. Alejandro Macias ( Westminster, Colo. / Northglenn Judo Club )
Men’s 100kg
5. Micah Bellamy ( Colorado Springs , Colo. / USA Judo National Training Site at the Olympic Training Center )
Men’s Open
5. Alex Zheleznov ( Aurora, Colo. / Denver Judo )
National Ladder Tournament Results
The Ladder Tournament is a national level event that is restricted to athletes who are not currently nationally ranked in the
weight division in which they participate. Place winners receive national rank status and earn the right to compete in the US
Open International Championships in October.
Colorado athlete highlights at the Ladder Tournament:
Women 57kg:
Anna Palmer (Colorado Springs, Colo. / USA Judo National Training Site at the Olympic Training Center) competing in the 57kg
weight division, had at total of six total matches – including three against five-time National Champion Carrie Chandler
(Glenville, N.Y. / NYAC / USA Judo National Training Site at the Jason Morris Judo Center). Palmer won two of those three matches
to secure the gold.
Women 70 kg:
Grace Jividen (Littleton , Colo. / Olympic Training Center / Denver Judo), a 43-year-old 1992 Olympian was fighting for the first
time since she was named an alternate at the 2004 Olympic Trials. Jividen, who fought in the 63kg division in 2004, competed at
70kg on Sunday, defeating Natalie Laursen (Livermore, Calif. / Amador), a former top-ranked junior player in the 63kg division,
and Kelsi Bostic (Anderson, Ind. / Judan Judo), a 70kg junior national champion to win the gold medal.
Colorado athletes who placed in the top 5 in the Ladder Tournament:
Men’s 73kg
5. Bobby Yamashita (Northglenn, Colo. / Northglenn Judo Club)
Men’s 100kg
4. Tim Wilson (Monument, Colo. / USA Judo National Training site at the Olympic Training Center)
Women’s 52kg
5. Meg Maceau (Colorado Springs, Colo. / USA Judo National Training site at the Olympic Training Center )
Women’s 57kg
1. Anna Palmer ( Colorado Springs , Colo. / USA Judo National Training site at the Olympic Training Center)
Women’s 70kg
1. Grace Jividen ( Littleton , Colo. / Olympic Training Center / Denver Judo)
Women’s +78kg
2. Corinne Vannatta ( Denver , Colo. / Denver Judo)
Masters Men’s 30-34-year-old 81kg
2. Nasib Maluf ( Englewood , Colo. / Denver Judo)
-end-