U.S. Athletes to Compete in Belgium This Weekend

(Colorado Springs, Colo.) - Thirteen U.S. athletes will compete in a pair of USA Judo Senior B-Level Point Tournaments in Belgium with the men competing at the Belgium Open in Vise and the women fighting at the Belgian Ladies' Open in Arlon. 

Both events draw top players from around the world and are considered tune-ups for the World Tour with the men's tournament frequently pulling in more than 50 athletes per division.

Led by 2008 Olympian and two-time Pan American Champion Travis Stevens (Wakefield, Mass. / NYAC / USA Judo National Team FORCE / 81kg), Team USA includes five players who will each be vying for his first medal at the men's event in Vise. 

Stevens will be joined by the following players: 

• Julio Rodriguez (Colorado Springs, Colo. / USA Judo National Training Site at the Olympic Training Center / 66kg)
• Toshiya Nishimura (Colorado Springs, Colo. / USA Judo National Training Site at the Olympic Training Center / 66kg)
• Lincoln Han (San Diego, Calif. / Judo America / 73kg)
• Iavor Kostadinov (Colorado Springs, Colo. / USA Judo National Training Site at the Olympic Training Center / 90kg) 

Competition schedule for the Belgian Open is as follows:

Saturday, Jan. 30
Men's 60kg, 73kg, 90kg, +100kg

Sunday, Jan. 31
Men's 66kg, 81kg, 100kg

The Belgian Ladies' Open includes divisions for both senior athletes as well as junior players ages 20 and younger.  Competition will be held on Saturday for the junior divisions and Sunday for the senior divisions.

Three U.S. athletes will compete in both the junior and senior divisions with all eight women fight in the senior divisions.

Alexa Liddie (Colorado Springs, Colo. / USA Judo National Training Site at the Olympic Training Center / 48kg), Amelia Fulgentes (Simi Valley, Calif. / Mojica Judo Club / 52kg) and Angelica Delgado (Miami, Fla. / USA Judo National Training Site at North Miami / 57kg). 

Former Senior Pan Am Team members, Liddie and Delgado have both competed at the Belgian Ladies' Open and are both looking for their final chance to place in their last year of junior eligibility.

Ann Shiraishi (San Francisco, Calif. / East Bay Judo Institute) will be competing in the event for the first time since she placed fifth in the 48kg division in 2008. 

Marti Malloy (San Jose, Calif. / USA Judo National Training Site at San Jose State University), a ninth-place finisher at the 2007 Senior World Championships, fought in Belgium as a 63kg player in 2008, but will be returning to the 57kg division this weekend. 

Christal Ransom (Colorado Springs, Colo. / USA Judo National Training Site at the Olympic Training Center) will be returning to Europe for the first time since the 2009 Belgian event. 

Anna Palmer (Colorado Springs, Colo. / USA Judo National Training Site at the Olympic Training Center) will be making her comeback to major competition after sustaining an injury at the 2008 Pan American Championships, just a month before the U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Judo.  A former top-ranked 52kg player, Palmer won a silver medal at the E-Level Continental Crown in November at 63kg, but will be moving back down to 57kg this weekend. 

Like Fulgentes, Samantha Bleier (Colorado Springs, Colo. / USA Judo National Training Site at the Olympic Training Center) will be competing in Belgium for the first time.  A 2009 Senior Nationals bronze medalist at 70kg, this will be Bleier's first European event. 

Tags: Alexa Liddie, Amelia Fulgentes, Angelica Delgado, Ann Shiraishi, Anna Palmer, Anna Palmer, Christal Ransom, Christal Ransom, Iavor Kostadinov, Julio Rodriguez Jr., Lincoln Han, Marti Malloy, Samantha Bleier, Toshiya Nishimura, Travis Stevens