Katelyn Bouyssou Places Fifth at the Junior World Championships in Paris, Corwin Learned Finishes Seventh

(Colorado Springs, Colo.) - Fifteen-year-old Katelyn Bouyssou (Hope, R.I. / NYAC / Mayo Quanchi Judo Club) may have been one of the youngest athletes at the Junior World Championships, but the high school sophomore demonstrated that she is one of the players to watch for future Olympic Games when she placed fifth at the Junior World Championships in Paris.

Held annually for athletes 19-years-old and under, Junior World Champions frequently go on to win Olympic medals with more than a third of the 2008 medalists being veterans of previous Junior World podiums.  

After a first-round bye in the 48kg division, Bouyssou threw Khandsuren Tsernkhand (MGL) for a waza-ari (half-point) score which she followed with a sode (sleeve throw) for ippon (instant win) in the first 50 seconds of the match.

In the quarter-finals, Bouyssou defeated 2007 European Junior medalist Kay Kraus (GER) by two penalties to advance to the semifinals where she was thrown for a yuko (quarter-point) score and pinned for ippon by Sarah Menezes (BRA), the reigning Junior World Champion and a fifth-place finisher at the 2009 Senior Worlds.

Nineteen-year-old Menezes would go on to win her second Junior World title and Bouyssou had the opportunity to fight for a bronze medal on the World stage for the second time this year after placing fifth at the Cadet (U17) World Championships in August.

Derya Cibir (TUR) took an early lead when she threw Bouyssou with a seoi nage (shoulder throw) for a yuko score and ultimately pinned Bouyssou.

"For a second I thought I was gonna be stuck and thought 'oh no it's over,' but then I worked up the strength to sit myself up and get out of it," Bouyssou said.  

Although Bouyssou escaped, Cibir held the pin for 16 seconds which was just long enough for a second yuko score to be called. 

Bouyssou was given a yuko score of her own when two false attack penalties were called on Cibir, but at the end of the four-minute match she narrowly lost by two yukos to one.  

"I think I could've done better than I did, that's for sure and I know people say I still have four more chances to win it, but I wanted to win it this time," said Bouyssou who still have four more years of Junior Worlds eligibility remaining.  "I'm going to come back strong next year and hopefully win the gold."

Eighteen-year-old Corwin Learned (El Granada, Calif. / Cahill's Judo Academy) never had the opportunity to compete in the Junior Worlds until this year when the International Judo Federation chose to add the lightest men's and women's weights (55kg and 44kg) to the Junior Worlds lineup. 

A 55kg player who placed third at the Senior Nationals in 2008, Learned made the most of his first U.S. Team appearance with a seventh-place finish. 

Learned pinned Michael Tobin (AUS) in the first round and threw Munkhbhold Baatar (MGL) in less than a minute with an uchimata (inner thigh throw) to advance to the quarter-finals where he was thrown by Ilgar Mushkiev (AZE).   

In the repechage, Learned was one match away from fighting for bronze and down by a penalty to Antonio Campese (ITA) when he and Campese were both given stalling penalties with just under a minute left on the clock.  Learned kept attacking for the final minute, but was unable to score and lost the match, placing seventh overall. 

Competing in his first Junior World Championships, Arnold Toriumi (Honolulu, Hawaii / Hawaii Tenri) had a first-round bye in the 60kg division and then threw Igor Cosic (SRB) with a seoi nage (shoulder throw) in his first match.  In the third round, Toriumi lost by a waza-ari to Fraj Dhouibi (TUN), falling one match short of the quarter-finals and possible medal contention.  

Veronica Prado (Coral Springs, Fla. / USA Judo National Training Site at North Miami) was thrown in the final 30 seconds of her first-round 44kg match with a drop seoi (dropping shoulder throw) for a waza-ari score against two-time European Junior medalist Lilla Erdelyi (HUN).  

"There was tons of passion displayed by our athletes today and they made me proud by displaying the fighting spirit that they did," said Head Coach Serge Bouyssou (Hope, R.I.)  "Even the losses we took, the athletes were completely in those fights and when the kids did lose, they carried themselves like true sportsmen. I am pleased with everyone and look forward to tomorrow."

Competition continues on Friday with the following divisions:

Men's 66kg
Kyle Taketa (Torrance, Calif. / Gardena Judo)

Men's 73kg
Andrew Porras (Hialeah, Fla. / USA Judo National Training Site at North Miami)

Women's 52kg
Jeanette Rodriguez (Davie, Fla. / USA Judo National Training Site at North Miami)

Women's 57kg
Angelica Delgado (Miami, Fla. / USA Judo National Training Site at North Miami)

Complete results are as follows:

Men's 55kg
1. Torum Shishime (JPN)
2. Ilgar Mushkiyev (AZE)
3. Sheng-Ting Huang (TPE)
3. Lukasz Kielbasinski (POL)
5. Antonio Campese (ITA)
5. Raphael Minoru Miaque (BRA)
7. Alexandre Dibartollo (CAN)
7. Corwin Learned (El Granada, Calif. / Cahill's Judo Academy)

Men's 60kg
1. Hirofumi Yamamoto (JPN)
2. Tumurkuleg Davvadorj (MGL)
3. Ilyas Izmagilov (KAZ)
3. Florent Urani (FRA)
5. Abdula Abdulzhalilov (RUS)
5. Artem Kharchenko (UKR)
7. Fraj Dhouibi (TUN)
7. Hyun-Jin Jung (KOR)

Also Competed: Arnold Toriumi (Honolulu, Hawaii / Hawaii Tenri), 1-1

Women's 44kg
1. Tomoka Yomogita (JPN)
2. Katharina Menz (GER)
3. Antonieta Galleguilos (CHI)
3. Ebru Sahin (TUR)
5. Evgeniya Demintseva (RUS)
5. Lilla Erdelyi (HUN)
7. Anujin Otgonchuluun (MGL)
7. Kristina Vrsic (SLO)

Also Competed: Veronica Prado (Coral Springs, Fla. / USA Judo National Training Site at North Miami), 0-1

Women's 48kg
1. Sara Menezes (BRA)
2. Hiromi Endo (JPN)
3. Derya Cibir (TUR)
3. Mi-Ri Kim (KOR)
5. Katelyn Bouyssou (Hope, R.I. / NYAC / Mayo Quanchi Judo)
5. Charline Van Snick (BEL)
7. Kay Kraus (GER)
7. Ekaterina Tikhonova (RUS)

 

Tags: Andrew Porras, Angelica Delgado, Arnold Toriumi, Corwin Learned, Jeanette Rodriguez, Katelyn Bouyssou, Kyle Taketa, Veronica Prado