Kayla Harrison Places Fifth at Brazil Grand Slam

(Colorado Springs, Colo.) – Kayla Harrison (Wakefield, Mass. / NYAC / USA Judo National Team FORCE) placed fifth in the 78kg division at the Brazil Grand Slam, a USA Judo Senior A+-Level event, on Sunday in Rio de Janeiro. 

Harrison, a three-time World Cup medalist, won her opening match against Cristina Bertoldo (COL) by ippon (instant win) in 53 seconds.  

In the next round, Harrison was up by a waza-ari (half-point) against 2008 European medalist Yahima Ramirez (POR) after Ramirez committed three penalties.  In the fourth minute, Harrison pinned Ramirez to win the match. 

Harrison’s next match was a quarter-final against Audrey Tcheumeo (FRA) – a familiar opponent for Harrison who won their last match in the finals of the 2008 Junior World Champioships. 

This time, however, Tcheumeo held Harrison scoreless and won the match by yuko (quarter-point) and waza-ari scores.  As the event was a single-elimination tournament, Harrison placed fifth overall.

A five-time Pan Am medalist in the 81kg division, Aaron Cohen (Buffalo Grove, Ill. / NYAC / USA Judo National Training Site at the Olympic Training Center) earned his first World Tour win in the 90kg division when he defeated three-time Pan Am medalist Diego Rosatti (ARG) by two penalties to one.  In another penalty game, Cohen lost his second-round match to Varlam Liparteliani (GEO) by four penalties to one. 

Five other U.S. athletes competed at the event, but lost in the opening round.

A bronze medalist at the 2009 Brazil Grand Slam, Beijing Olympian Travis Stevens (Wakefield, Mass. / NYAC / USA Judo National Team FORCE) was caught for a waza-ari score during the first exchange of his 81kg match against Tomislav Marijanovic (CRO). Although Stevens earned a yuko score when Marijanovic was given two penalties, the Croatian won the match en route to earning his first Grand Slam title.

Stevens’ 2008 Olympic Teammate Daniel McCormick (Wakefield, Mass. / NYAC / USA Judo National Team FORCE) trailed Vladut Simionescu (ROU) by a waza-ari score in the +100kg division before Simionescu pinned McCormick to earn the win.

Two U.S. athletes competed in the 100kg division.  Reigning Pan Am bronze medalist Kyle Vashkulat (Glenville, N.Y. / NYAC / USA Judo National Training Site at the Jason Morris Judo Center) was down by a yuko and a waza-ari score when four-time European medalist Elco van der Geest (BEL) pinned Vashkulat for the second waza-ari score he needed to win the match.  Van der Geest went on to win the division and his seventh World Tour title.

Shintaro Higashi (Scarsdale, N.Y. / NYAC / Kokushi) also competed in the 100kg division, but lost to Balint Farkas (HUN) by ippon.

Competing in her first Grand Slam, 2010 Senior Pan Am Team member Toni Geiger (Dumont, N.J. / Tech Judo) was down by a yuko score before losing to two-time European medalist Urszula Sadkowska (POL) by ippon in the +78kg division. 

Complete results are as follows:

Women’s 70kg
1. Lucie Decosse (FRA)
2. Edith Bosch (NED)
3. Yoriko Kunihara (JPN)
3. Rasa Sraka (SLO)
5. Erica Barbieri (ITA)
5. Maria Portela (BRA)
5. Juliane Robra (SUI)
5. Tomoe Ueno (JPN)

Women’s 78kg
1. Ruika Sato (JPN)
2. Akari Ogata (JPN)
3. Mayra Aguiar (BRA)
3. Audrey Tcheumeo (FRA)
5. Kayla Harrison (Wakefield, Mass. / NYAC / USA Judo National Team FORCE)
5. Celine Lebrun (FRA)
5. Luise Malzahn (GER)
5. Heide Wollert (GER)

Women’s +78kg
1. Lucja Polavder (SLO)
2. Maria Suelen Althamam (BRA)
3. Idalis Ortiz (CUB)
3. Urszula Sadkowska (POL)
5. Qian Qin (CHN)For
5. Mika Sugimoto (JPN)
5. Carola Uilenhoed (NED)
5. Vanessa Zambotti (MEX) 

Also Competed: Toni Geiger (Dumont, N.J. / Tech Judo), 0-1

Men’s 81kg
1. Tomislav Marijanovic (CRO)
2. Guillaume Elmont (NED)
3. Flavio Canto (BRA)
3. Leandro Guilheiro (BRA)
5. Laszlo Csoknyai (HUN)
5. David Kevkhishvili (GEO)
5. Takahiro Nakai (JPN)
5. Masahiro Takamatsu (JPN)

Also Competed: Travis Stevens (Wakefield, Mass. / NYAC / USA Judo National Team FORCE), 0-1

2. Kirill Denisov (RUS)
3. Vartam Liparteliani (GEO)
3. Daki Nishiyama (JPN)
5. Tiago Camilo (BRA)
5. Dominique Hischier (SUI)
5. Ilias Iliadis (GRE)
5. Marcus Nyman (SWE)

Also Competed: Aaron Cohen (Buffalo Grove, Ill. / NYAC / USA Judo National Training Site at the Olympic Training Center), 1-1

Men’s 100kg
1. Elco Van Der Geest (BEL)
2. Takamasa Anai (JPN)
3. Ramadan Darwish (EGY)
3. Levan Zhorzholiani (GEO)
5. Luciano Correa (BRA)
5. Leonardo Leite (BRA)
5. Cyrille Maret (FRA)
5. Dimitri Peters (GER)

Also Competed: Kyle Vashkulat (Glenville, N.Y. / NYAC / USA Judo National Training Site at the Jason Morris Judo Center), 0-1
Shintaro Higashi (Scarsdale, N.Y. / NYAC / Kokushi Judo), 0-1

Men’s +100kg
1. Kazuhiko Takahashi (JPN)
2. Andreas Toelzer (GER)
3. Islam El Shehaby (EGY)
3. Keiji Suzuki (JPN)
5. Barna Bor (HUN)
5. Daniel Hernandes (BRA)
5. Vladut Simionescu (ROU)
5. Janusz Wojnarowicz (POL)

Also Competed: Daniel McCormick (Wakefield, Mass. / NYAC / USA Judo National Team FORCE), 0-1

Tags: Aaron Cohen, Daniel McCormick, Kayla Harrison, Kyle Vashkulat, Shintaro Higashi, Toni Geiger, Travis Stevens