Bronze medal earns Julian Gallego a Junior Olympic Judo ranking

Bronze medal earns Julian Gallego a Junior Olympic Judo ranking

FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla. (July 2007) – Julian Gallego, a ten-year-old judoka from Chaska, captured the Bronze medal in his 34 kg. weight-class, the only Minnesotan to place at the 2007 Junior US Open International Judo Championships held at the Broward County Convention Center in Ft Lauderdale, Florida last month. The medal earned Gallego 2-points in the national standings, which improved his rank on the U.S. Olympic Junior National Roster to fifth place with 4 points in the Intermediate 2 (B) Male 11-12 age group and 34 kg category.More than 550 athletes from 22 countries competed in the two-day event, which is considered the premiere event in the United States for Judo competitors under age 21. There were excellent bouts throughout the two-day competition as some of the athletes came fresh from representing their countries in the 2007 Pan American Games held the in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil the previous weekend. Other notables competing included the children of former US Olympic medalists, Eddie Liddie and Jimmy Pedro.Gallego had to rally to take the Bronze. He lost a close match in his first bout against Daniel Alejandro Chicaiza capon of Ecuador. The loss put Julian in the bottom bracket forcing him to win his three remaining matches to earn the right to play for the Bronze medal. The competitors he defeated were no pushovers. They had each placed in the 2006 Junior US Open International Judo Championships. Gallego faced Nathaniel Standish of Johnston, Iowa, wining with a Marotegari (double-handed reap). He then went on to defeat Jonathan Morales of Miami, coming from behind to win a tough match with a take down and a Kesagatame pin (scarf hold) for a full point late in the contest.Meanwhile, the Ecuadorian, Daniel Alejandro Chicaiza capon, lost a match to Mexican champion, Christian Aguirre, dropping him to the lower bracket. This set the stage for a rematch between Julian and Chicaiza. Julian readjusted his strategy against his foe and was able to easily outpoint him securing the Bronze. The Gold went to Aguirre as he soundly defeated Joshua Ruckdeshel of New Zealand who took the Silver.To prepare for the tournament, Gallego trained for several days in a Jackson, Mississippi dojo, under Bob Harvey, a 5th Degree Black Belt. Harvey said he was impressed by Gallego’s strong performance, noting that it is rare for athletes with little experience at this level to do well in such a highly competitive event. Harvey, also President of the Mississippi Judo Association, noted that this is a point’s tournament, meaning that most of the top junior players from the United States as well as from other countries would be present.Top-level junior athletes compete in a series of junior national events: USA Judo Junior Olympic Championships, USJF and USJA National Junior Championships and the US Open International Judo Championships. Athletes earn points for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place finishes. The number of points an athlete earns determines their standing on the National rooster. Once an athlete reaches age 13, they are able to receive funding support to compete internationally. USA Judo (The national governing association) often awards either partial or full sponsorships for athletes to represent the United States in international competition. Athletes under 13 often are also able to compete internationally however; there is not as much funding support.Gallego performed well during the 2007 Judo season with a 24-3 record. He won the Iowa State Championships, ShowMe State Games (Missouri), Midwest Championships in St. Paul, and the Oklahoma Winter Championships. He took 2nd at the Minnesota State and Minnesota Open Championships. During the 2008 season, Julian plans to compete at several additional regional and national tournaments in an effort to improve his performance in 2008.

http://www.judominnesota.org/

FONTE: St. Paul Asian American Press - St. Paul, MN, USA

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