JUDO: U.S. Athletes Win Four Medals at Pan Am Kata Championships

U S JudoJUDO:

U.S. Athletes Win Four Medals at Pan Am Kata Championships
For Immediate Release
May 27, 2006

Contact: Nicole Jomantas, 719.271.9937
Nicole.Jomantas@usajudo.us


(Buenos Aires, Argentina) – Karen Whilden (Vienna, Va./Baltimore Judo Club) and Diane Jackson (Silver Springs, Md./Hui-O-Judo Beltsville) won their second consecutive gold medal at the Pan American Kata Championships on Saturday.

Kata is a form of judo competition in which pre-set fundamental or basic forms are demonstrated and then judged by a panel of experts. There were four katas contested at this year’s Pan Ams in both male and female divisions: Katame No Kata, Ju No Kata and Nage No Kata.

Whilden and Jackson won gold in the Katame No Kata competition and placed second in the Ju No Kata Division.

Their teammates Delynn Purcell (Kennewick, Wash./Columbia Dojo) and Mikey Sjerven (Kennewick, Wash./Columbia Dojo) also reached the podium, placing second in the Nage No Kata division.

Douglas Tono (Chicago, Ill./Tohkon), a three-time National Shiai Champion, and Andrzej Dajnowski (Chicago, Ill./Tohkon) competed in their first Kata Pan Ams, earning a silver medal in Ju No Kata and placing fourth in Katame No Kata.

The duo also finished seventh in Nage No Kata.

Complete results are as follows (Tori listed first, Uke second)

Male Katame No Kata
1. Rioti Uchida (BRA) and Luis Dos Santos (BRA), 644.0
2. Luis Dusetti (ARG) and German Gambera (ARG), 593.5
3. Andres Legallais (ARG) and Cristian Regali (ARG), 581.5
4. Andrzej Dajnowski (Chicago, Ill./Tohkon) and Douglas Tono (Chicago, Ill./Tohkon), 580.0
5. Henry Cabrera (URU) and Jorge De Leon (URU), 508.5
6. Edgar Alvarez (MEX) and Jaime Martinez (MEX), 471.0

Male Ju No Kata
1. Rioti Uchida (BRA) and Luis Dos Santos (BRA), 648.5
2. Andrzej Dajnowski (Chicago, Ill./Tohkon) and Douglas Tono (Chicago, Ill./Tohkon), 592.5
3. Nestor Dusetti (ARG) and Sebastian Dusetti (ARG), 536.5
4. Edgar Alvarez (MEX) and Jaime Martinez (MEX), 503.5

Male Nage No Kata
1. Rioti Uchida (BRA) and Luis Dos Santos (BRA), 1,183.5
2. Hector Zubillaga (ARG) and Andres Araki (ARG), 1,153.0
3. Luis Momtes (COL) and Glatember Escobar (COL), 1,114.0
4. German Gabmera (ARG) and Fioriti Marcelo (ARG), 1,017.0
5. Henry Cabrera (URU) and Jorge De Leon (URU), 1,015.0
6. Derlly Vasquez (PER) and Franco Loza (PER), 1,014.5
7. Andrzej Dajnowski (Chicago, Ill./Tohkon) and Douglas Tono (Chicago, Ill./Tohkon), 995.5
8. Edgar Alvarez (MEX) and Jaime Martinez (MEX), 883.0
9. Gabriel Gomez (ARG) and Leandro Gomez (ARG), 808.0

Women Katame No Kata
1. Karen Whilden (Vienna, Va./Baltimore Judo Club) and Diane Jackson (Silver Springs, Md./Hui-O-Judo Beltsville), 621.0
2. Kelly Yamamoto (BRA) and Suzi Yamamota (BRA), 619.0

Women Ju No Kata
1. Kelly Yamamoto (BRA) and Suzi Yamamoto (BRA), 627.5
2. Delynn Purcell (Kennewick, Wash./Columbia Dojo) and Mikey Sjerven (Kennewick, Wash./Columbia Dojo), 575.0

Women Nage No Kata
1. Kelly Yamamoto (BRA) and Suzi Yamamoto (BRA), 1,183.0
2. Karen Whilden (Vienna, Va./Baltimore Judo Club) and Diane Jackson (Silver Springs, Md./Hui-O-Judo Beltsville), 1,171.0
3. Margarita Castano (COL) and Ibarra Liliana (COL), 1,114.5

-END-

Nicole Jomantas
Director of Communications and Media Relations
USA Judo
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