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Training intensifies for judo's Olympic hopefuls
Liza Atamy
Issue date: 4/30/08 Section: Sports
Training intensifies for judo's Olympic hopefuls
Liza Atamy
Issue date: 4/30/08 Section: Sports
The SJSU Judo Club is preparing for the Olympic trials, which is scheduled to be held in Las Vegas from June 13 through June 15.
"We've been training 11 hours a week," said Marti Malloy, a junior advertising major. "We train two hours in the morning and two hours in the evening every day, except Sunday, and on Saturday we only train once."
Malloy said she started practicing martial arts at the age of 6 and has been part of the SJSU club for three years.
"I lived on a military base in Washington state and my dad enrolled my brothers in (judo)," said Malloy, 21.
"I was upset because I wanted to play on the mats like my brothers did, so my parents let me do it."
Malloy said she came in first place at the USA Judo 2008 Senior National Judo Championships, held in the beginning of April, in the 57-kilogram (125.4 pounds) weight division.
Malloy said there is one more tournament that she must win in order to qualify in the 63-kilogram (138.6 pounds) division for the Olympic trials.
"I don't have enough points yet to be in the top three, which is what you need to qualify in your weight," she said.
Malloy said if she did well in the tournament next week, she would qualify in her division and would go to the trials.
"I'm confident because I've never lost (to) any of the girls I fought," she said. "I'm still going to worry, but I know that I can be on the Olympic team."
Jon Leonhardt, who is currently on the Olympic trial team and is ranked No. 4 in the nation in the 100-plus kilogram (220 pounds) division, said he had been practicing judo for 22 years.
"It was around the time when 'Karate Kid' came out, and my parents wanted me to get into a sport," Leonhardt said.
"There was a judo club across the street from our home, so we gave it a proximity, and I stuck with it."
Leonhardt placed fifth in the 100-plus kilogram category in the 2007 USA Open Judo Championship, according to sjsujudo.org.
He came in first place in the 100-plus kilogram category at the Senior Nationals, according to usjudo.org.
"The last Olympic trials, they only took the top five to the trials, and I missed it by one point," he said.
"This year, it feels good to be in the spot and make it.
"Especially coming out of the national championships, I have a lot of confidence going into the trials."
Janine Nakao, a sophomore nutrition major, said she won first at the Senior Nationals in the 63-kilgram (138.6 pounds) division.
"We had the best results this year," said Nakao, 21. "We trained very hard and stepped it up a lot for the tournament."
Nakao said she had been doing judo since she was 4½ years old.
"I wanted to join because it's in the family," she said. "My dad, brother and cousins all have been doing judo."
Nakao said she was excited about the upcoming trials in June and that she had been training 15 hours a week."
During the trials, the top eight in the nation in each weight division will fight," she said.
Allison Clifford, a sophomore occupational therapy major, said she originally started practicing Brazilian jujitsu at age 12.
"It's a similar form of submission wrestling," said Clifford, 19. "I mostly did it for self-defense, but I just fell in love with it."
Clifford said she started doing judo to get better at her throw, and she came to SJSU because of the judo club.
"I wanted to pursue the dream of going to the Olympics, and I came here," she said. "A lot of schools claim to give the same amount of education in judo, but it just doesn't compare to the program here.
"Clifford, who is in the 78-kilogram (171.6 pounds) weight class, said she is not attending the trials but that she is helping a teammate who will be going to the Olympic trials.
Clifford said another enriching aspect of the SJSU Judo Club was the diversity among teammates.
"Most teammates are from all over the place," she said. "We have people from New Jersey, Chicago, Japan, Mali and Bosnia. You really get a cultural experience."
FONTE (photo include): The Spartan Daily - San Jose,CA,USA
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