JUDO: Five U.S. Athletes to Compete in Korea Cup This Weekend

U S Judo
JUDO: Five U.S. Athletes to Compete in Korea Cup This Weekend
Contact: Nicole Jomantas, 719.271.9937 (cell)

Nicole.Jomantas@usajudo.us

(Colorado Springs, Colo.) – A team of U.S. players will compete at the Korea Cup, a USA Judo Senior B-Level Tournament, this weekend in Jeju, Korea.

While most of the top players at the Korean Open traditionally hail from the Asian region, also expect to see quality teams from Europe and Canada as well as the Cuban Women’s Team. The Cuban squad is coming off a silver medal win at the World Team Championships in Beijing, Nov. 17-18 and will include three current or former World Champions: Driulis Gonzalez, 63kg (2007, 1999, 1995); Yurisel Laborde, 78kg (2005 and 2007) and Yanet Bermoy, 48kg (2005).

The United States returns to the Korean Open for the first time since 2005 with four players coming off medal wins at the Finnish Open in Vantaa just over two weeks ago.

Travis Stevens (Glenville, N.Y. / USA Judo National Training Site at the Jason Morris Judo Center) will be competing for the first time at a senior event in Asia, but the 21-year-old 81kg player has won medals at four B-Level events this year, including titles at the Pan American Games in July as well as the Finnish Open. Stevens drew Chi-Hang Au (HKG) in the first round of a 16-person division. The winner fights the winner between Jae-Bum Kim (KOR),the 2004 Junior World Champion in the 73kg division, and Antonio Ciano (ITA), a six-time World Cup medalist. Sayaka Matsumoto (El Cerrito, Calif. / NYAC / East Bay Judo Institute / 48kg) won a bronze medal during one of her most recent trips to Jeju at the Pacific Rim Championships in 2005. Like Stevens, Matsumoto is a reigning National Champion who won her first European title with her gold medal in Finland. Matsumoto drew 2006 Asian Games medalist Kelbet Nurgazina (KAZ) in the first round of her 10-person division with the winner fighting Young-Ran Kim (KOR), a six-time World Cup medalist who placed fifth at the World Championships in September. Nick Kossor (Glenville, N.Y. / USA Judo National Training Site at the Jason Morris Judo Center) has placed in the top five at several B-Level events in the past, but broke through to the podium in the 60kg division for the first time in Finland where he won a silver medal. Kossor will fight Kwang-Hyun Choi (KOR) in the first match in a 13-person division. The winner will fight Yat-Hei Chan (HKG), a bronze medalist at the 2007 Pacific Rim Championships. Katie Mocco (Glenville, N.Y. / NYAC / USA Judo National Training Site at the Jason Morris Judo Center) moved up from 70kg to 78kg earlier this year and won a bronze medal in Finland at her first European tournament at her new weight. Mocco has a small division with only 10 players, but the draw is stacked with high level athletes as Mocco will face two-time World Champion Yurisel Laborde (CUB) in the first round to advance to the next against Pan Am medalist Marylise Levesque (CAN).Derek Alef (Santa Barbara, Calif. / Santa Ynez Judo) is a newcomer to international competition in the +100kg division. Alef placed fifth at the USA Judo Senior National Championships and a top-five finish in Korea would secure his position in the U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Judo, June 13-14 in Las Vegas, Nev. Alef also 11 players in his division and a first round match against Youhei Takai (JPN), a 2005 World medalist in the open division. The winner will fight Sung-Won Choi (KOR). Competition will take place on Nov. 30 for the men’s 81kg, 90kg, 100kg, +100kg and women’s 48kg, 52kg and 57kg and on Dec. 1 for the men’s 60kg, 66kg, 73kg and women’s 63kg, 70kg, 78kg and +78kg divisions.

For more information, contact Nicole Jomantas, USA Judo Director of Communications and Media Relations, at 719.271.9937 (cell) or Nicole.Jomantas@usajudo.us.

Nicole Jomantas

Director of Communications and Media Relations

USA Judo

One Olympic Plaza Suite 505

Colorado Springs, CO 80909

Ph: 719.866.4732

Fax: 719.866.4733