Colorado Athletes Win Medals at Judo Nationals and Positions on World and Pan American Teams
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
April 23, 2007
CONTACT: John Miller (303-547-2004)
(Colorado Springs, Colo) - Four Colorado Athletes won slots on USA Judo's team that will compete in the Pan American Games (July 19-22) and World Championships (September 16-19), both in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The team members are:Heidi Moore (Englewood, Colo. / Denver Judo) in Women’s Open, Djamaldin Aliev (Greenwood Village Colo. / USA Judo National Training Site at the Olympic Training Center) in Men's Open, Kirk Hoffman (Colorado Springs, Colo. / USA Judo National Training Site at the Olympic Training Center), in Men's +100kg, and Ryan Reser (Colorado Springs, Colo. / USA Judo National Training Site at the Olympic Training Center), in Men's 73kg. Hoffmann had the toughest time making the team after entering the National Championships at the #1 seed, but only placing 5th. However, the team selection procedures, provided for a playoff between the winner of the Nationals and the #1 seed and Hoffmann defeated the winner, Joel Brutus (Matawan, N.J. / New York Athletic Club), twice in a row secure his slot on the team. Both Reser and Moore made team selection much easier on themselves by winning the natioanl championship in their respective divisions as the #1 seeds, thereby securing automatic team selection. Moore also won a silver medal on the previous day in the Women's +78kg division. Aliev won the Open division as an unranked entrant. Normally, he would have had to participate in a playoff like Hoffman did, but the #1-ranked seed Adler Volmar (Coral Springs, Fla. / USA Judo National Training Site at North Miami) had qualified for the World Team slot at 100kg the previous day and declined to participate in the playoff.
Two other athletes came close, but were disappointed in their attempts to make the team: Grace Ohashi (Colorado Springs, Colo. / USA Judo National Training Site at the Olympic Training Center) entered Women's 52kg as the #4 seed and upset #1-seeded Franchesca Durand (Coral Springs, Fla.) in the semifinals. Ohashi threw Durand for a yuko (small point) early in the match to advance to the finals where she was beaten on points by four-time National Champion Carrie Chandler (Glenville, N.Y. / NYAC / USA Judo National Training Site), thus losing the chance for a playoff against Durand. Ohashi is legally blind and two weeks ago qualified for the World Judo Championships for the blind. She is now ranked #3 nationally, which is believed to be the highest ranking ever for a visually impaired athlete in Judo in the USA. Kenny Hashimoto (Thornton, Colo. / Northglenn Judo) entered the 66kg division as the #2 seed, only 1 point behind #1-seeded Justin Flores (Glenville, NY), but lost in the semifinal to #3-seeded Taylor Takata (Harlingen, Texas / USA Judo National Training Site at Harlingen) in overtime on a controversial penalty for stepping out of bounds. This loss put Hashimoto out of the running for the gold medal and a possible playoff against Flores who Kenny defeated in their only meeting at last year's Rendez Vous International in Montreal. Hashimoto went on to win the Bronze medal.
Complete Colorado results follow:
Women’s 44kg
3. Alexa Liddie (Colorado Springs, Colo. / USA Judo National Training Site at the Olympic Training Center)
Women’s 52kg
2. Grace Ohashi (Colorado Springs, Colo. / USA Judo National Training Site at the Olympic Training Center)
3. Anna Palmer (Colorado Springs, Colo. / USA Judo National Training Site a the Olympic Training Center)
Women’s 70 kg
3. Jennifer Tutass (Colorado Springs, Colo. / USA Judo National Training Site at the Olympic Training Center)
Women’s 57kg
5. Michelle Hagerty (Colorado Springs, Colo. / USA Judo National Training Site at the Olympic Training Center)
Women’s +78 kg
2. Heidi Moore (Englewood, Colo. / Denver Judo)
Women’s Open
1. Heidi Moore (Englewood, Colo. / Denver Judo)
Men’s 60kg
5. Jeff Sato (Colorado Springs, Colo. / USA Judo National Training Site at the Olympic Training Center)
Men’s 66kg
3. Kenny Hashimoto (Thornton, Colo. / Northglenn Judo)
5. Josh O'Neal (Colorado Springs, Colo. / USA Judo National Training Site at the Olympic Training Center)
Men’s 73kg
1. Ryan Reser (Colorado Sprins, Colo. / USA Judo National Training Site at the Olympic Training Center)
Men +100 kg
5. Kirk Hoffman (Colorado Springs, Colo. / USA Judo National Training Site at the Olympic Training Center)
Men’s Open
1. Djamaldin Aliev (Greenwood Village Colo. / USA Judo National Training Site at the Olympic Training Center)
International Masters Results:
Female 45-49 yrs, 70kg
1. Jessica LOCKFELD, Denver, CO, Denver Judo
Male 40-44 yrs, 66kg
1. Mahmoud MANI, Denver, CO, Boulder Judo Training Center
Male 40-44 yrs, Open
2. Mahmoud MANI, Denver, CO, Boulder Judo Training Center
Male 50-54 yrs, 73kg
1. James CARMER, Denver, CO, Denver Judo
-end-