Delpopolo, Vashkulat, Malloy and Harrison Win Gold at El Salvador World Cup

(Colorado Springs, Colo.) – A week after making history with 12 medal wins at the Venezuela World Cup, Team USA travelled to San Salvador over the weekend for the El Salvador World Cup where the squad earned 18 overall medals – resetting the record for the best finish at a World Cup for a U.S. Team in history. 

 

Kayla Harrison (Wakefield, Mass. / NYAC / USA Judo National Team FORCE) earned her third straight World Cup gold with her 78kg title after defeating nine-time Pan Am medalist Lorena Briceno (ARG) by ippon (instant win) less than two minutes into the final match on Sunday.

 

After losing in the 100kg finals of the Venezuela World Cup to Cristian Schmidt (ARG), Kyle Vashkulat (Glenville, N.Y. / NYAC / USA Judo National Training Site at the Jason Morris Judo Center) won two matches by ippon on Sunday to advance to the final against Schmidt who Vashkulat defeated by ippon.

 

Competing on Saturday, Marti Malloy (San Jose, Calif. / USA Judo National Training Site at San Jose State University) led a 1-2-3 U.S. podium finish in the 57kg division when she pinned two-time Senior Nationals silver medalist Hannah Martin (Burnt Hills, Fla. / NYAC / USA Judo National Training Site at the Jason Morris Judo Center) in the final minute of the match to win her first World Cup title and third medal in the past month. 

 

First-time World Cup medalist Hana Carmichael (Wakefield, Mass. / NYAC / USA Judo National Team FORCE) rounded out the American medal trio in the 57kg division with her bronze medal victory over Stephanie Tremblay (CAN). 

 

Venezuela World Cup Champion Nick Delpopolo (Wakefield, Mass. / NYAC / USA Judo National Team FORCE) earned his second straight World Cup win in the 73kg division and avenged two final losses at the Senior Nationals when he threw Michael Eldred (Fruitland, Idaho / Western Idaho Judo Institute) for ippon in the finals on Saturday.  Eldred’s silver medal is the third World Cup podium for the reigning Senior National Champion and second in the past two weeks after a bronze medal finish in

 

Two other U.S. athletes fought for gold, but lost their final matches to win silver medals.

 

After placing second at the Lisbon World Cup two weeks ago, Travis Stevens (Wakefield, Mass. / NYAC / USA Judo National Team FORCE) qualified for the finals of the 81kg division with two wins by ippon after a first-round bye on Sunday.  In his last match, however, Stevens lost to Venezuela World Cup Champion Nacif Elias (BRA) by two penalties to one.

Natalie Lafon (Glenville, N.Y. / USA Judo National Training Site at the Jason Morris Judo Center) fought for her first World Cup medal in the 52kg division against Andressa Fernandez (BRA) after three early round wins.  Although Lafon held Fernandez scoreless, she was given three penalties to Fernandez’s two and lost the five-minute match on Saturday. 

 

A fifth-place finisher at the Venezuela World Cup, Angelica Delgado (Miami, Fla. / USA Judo National Training Site at South Florida) joined Lafon on the 52kg podium after she pinned Maria Luna (ESA) to win the bronze.

Nick Kossor (Glenville, N.Y. / USA Judo National Training Site at the Jason Morris Judo Center) and Ann Shiraishi (San Francisco, Calif. / East Bay Judo Institute) also earned bronze medal finishes on Saturday in the 60kg and 48kg divisions, respectively.

 

Kossor, whose first World Cup medal came in Venezuela last week, split his first two matches and was scheduled to fight Ricardo Ayres (BRA) for bronze; however Ayres withdrew from the match and Kossor was awarded the medal on a walkover. 

 

Shiraishi pinned Evelin Rodriguez (GUA) in the bronze medal match to earn her first World Cup medal.

On Sunday, Team USA  added to the medal tally with five more bronzes.

 

U.S. athletes were guaranteed at least one bronze medal in the 90kg division with three members of the team fighting for third. 

 

Aaron Cohen (Buffalo Grove, Ill. / NYAC / USA Judo National Training Site at the Olympic Training Center) won his first World Cup bronze in Venezuela, but lost his bid for a second when former 73kg U.S. Open Champion Bobby Lee (Wakefield, Mass. / USA Judo National Team FORCE) defeated Cohen by three penalties to Cohen’s throw for a yuko (quarter-point) score.

Jake Larsen (Colorado Springs, Colo. / Team FORCE) USA Judo National Training Site at the Olympic Training Center) won the other 90kg bronze with a 32-second win by ippon against Rafael Romo (CHI). 

The 63kg division featured a rematch of the 2009 Senior National finals as Janine Nakao (Wakefield, Mass. / NYAC / USA Judo National Team FORCE) fought Christal Ransom (Colorado Springs, Colo. / USA Judo National Training Site at the Olympic Training Center) for bronze.  Although Ransom won their last match at the 2009 Rendez-Vous Canada, Nakao won this one with a pin in overtime to earn her first World Cup medal. 

 

In the 70kg division, two members of the USA Judo National Training Site at the Olympic Training Center Team faced off for bronze for the second time during the past week with exactly the same results.  After defeating Samantha Bleier (Colorado Springs, Colo.) by one penalty to Bleier’s two to win bronze in

Venezuela,  Katie Sell (Colorado Springs, Colo.) won bronze over Bleier again by the same score.

 

Heavyweights Daniel McCormick (Wakefield, Mass. / NYAC / USA Judo National Team FORCE) and Mike Prieditis (Colorado Springs, Colo. / USA Judo National Training Site at the Olympic Training Center) ended the day on a high note for Team USA as both players earned bronzes in the +100kg division.

McCormick earned his second career World Cup medal with a win by two penalties to three against Ramon Flores (MEX) and Prieditis threw Orlando Baccino (ARG) for ippon in the final minute.

 

Complete results are as follows:

Men’s 60kg
1. Nabor Castillo (MEX)
2. Juan Postigos (PER)
3. Nick Kossor (Glenville, N.Y. / USA Judo National Training Site at the Jason Morris Judo Center)
3. Phelipe Pelm (BRA)
5. Ricardo Ayres (BRA)
5. Jose Romero (ECU)
7. Kenny Godoy (HON)
7. Aaron Kunihiro (Wakefield, Mass. / NYAC / USA Judo National Team FORCE)

Men’s 66kg
1. Luiz Revite (BRA)
2. Alejandro Zuniga (CHI)
3. Carlos Figueroa (ESA)
3. Israel Verdugo (ECU)
5. Brad Bolen (Glenville, N.Y. / USA Judo National Training Site at the Jason Morris Judo Center)
5. Fabian Gonzales (COL)
7. Oscar Buezo (GUA)
7. Ignacio Sancho (CRC) 

 

Men’s 73kg
1. Nick Delpopolo (Wakefield, Mass. / NYAC / USA Judo National Team FORCE)
2. Michael Eldred (Fruitland, Idaho / Western Idaho Judo Institute)
3. Fernando Salazar (CHI)
3. Luis Vega (ARG)
5. Alejandro Clara (ARG)
5. Oto Menegazzo (GUA)
7. Pedro Meja (GUA)
7. Jose Mario Perez (ESA)

 

Men’s 81kg
1. Nacif Elias (BRA)
2. Travis Stevens (Wakefield, Mass. / NYAC / USA Judo National Team FORCE)
3. Marcelo Ferreira (BRA)

3. Antoine Valois-Fortier (CAN)
5. Jose Bencosme (San Jose, Calif. / USA Judo National Training Site at San Jose State University)
5. Justin Imagawa (CAN)
7. Juan Amaya (ESA)
7. Rodrigo Hidro (CHI)

Men’s 90kg
1. Hector Campos (ARG)
2. Diego Rosati (ARG)
3. Jake Larsen (Colorado Springs, Colo. / Team FORCE / USA Judo National Training Site at the Olympic Training Center)
3. Bobby Lee (Wakefield, Mass. / USA Judo National Team FORCE)

5. Rafael Romo (CHI)
5. Aaron Cohen (Buffalo Grove, Ill. / NYAC / USA Judo National Training Site at the Olympic Training Center)
7. Nelson Chavez (ESA)
7. Junior Martinez  (HON)

 

Men’s 100kg
1. Kyle Vashkulat (Glenville, N.Y. / NYAC / USA Judo National Training Site at the Jason Morris Judo Center)
2. Cristian Schmidt (ARG)
3. Italo Cordova (CHI)
3. Diego Ochoa (ESA)
5. Balint Farkas (HUN)
7. Fernando Vanoye (MEX)

Men’s +100kg
1. David Moura (BRA)
2. Luis Do Carmo (BRA)
3. Daniel McCormick (Wakefield, Mass. / NYAC / USA Judo National Team FORCE)
3. Mike Prieditis (Colorado Springs, Colo. / USA Judo National Training Site at the Olympic Training Center)
5. Orlando  Baccino (ARG)
5. Ramon Flores (MEX)
7. Daniel Castillo (GUA)
7. Antonio Serrano (ESA)

 

Women’s 48kg
1. Paula Pareto (ARG)
2. Lisa Kearney (IRL)
3. Bianca Ockedahl (CAN)
3. Ann Shiraishi (San Francisco, Calif. / East Bay Judo Institute)
5. Edna Carrillo (MEX)
5. Evelin Rodriguez (GUA)
7. Antonieta Galleguillos (CHI)
7. Evelin Solis (GUA)

Women’s 52kg
1. Andressa Fernandes (BRA)
2. Natalie Lafon (Glenville, N.Y. / USA Judo National Training Site at the Jason Morris Judo Center)
3. Belen Achurra (CHI)
3. Angelica Delgado (Miami, Fla. / USA Judo National Training Site at South Florida)
5. Andrea Donis (GUA)
5. Maria Luna (ESA)
7. Patricia Gudiel (ESA)
7. Karina Tapia (CRC)

3. Melissa Rodriguez (ARG)
5. Stephanie Tremblay (CAN)
5. Anna Palmer (Colorado Springs, Colo. / USA Judo National Training Site at the Olympic Training Center)
7. Adriana Pineda (CRC)
7. Diana Villavicencio (ECU)

 

1. Camila Minakawa (BRA)

2. Myriam Lamarche (CAN)

3. Kylie Koenig (AUS)

5. Estefania Garcia (ECU)

7. Yennifer Dominguez (GUA)

7. Davi Sergia (HON)

 

1. Veronica Mendoza (ESA)

2. Vanessa Chala (ECU)

2. Lorena Briceno (ARG)

3. Mirla Nolberto (GUA)

5. Alicia Marisol Galan (ESA)

 

1. Vanessa Zambotti (MEX)

2. Janelle Shepherd (AUS)

3. Samantha Kessler (ARG)

5. Miniverth Gamboa (GUA)