Kayla Harrison Wins Gold Medal at USA World Cup, Team USA Claims Four Medals

(Miami, Fla.) – Nine days before she was scheduled to leave for the World Championships in Tokyo, Kayla Harrison (Wakefield, Mass. / NYAC / USA Judo National Team FORCE) went into the USA World Cup on Saturday with no set expectations. 

“We just wanted to use this as a warm-up for the Worlds and I wasn’t going to worry about the actual results because Worlds is what I’m focusing on,” Harrison said.

But then she got some news.

“My coach [Jimmy Pedro] told me before finals that if I won I’d be top eight and would get seeded at Worlds,” she said.

Harrison entered the finals of the 78kg division against 10-time World Cup medalist Catherine Roberge (CAN) after having defeated Roberge’s teammates Marylise Levesque and Amy Cotton in the quarter and semifinals.  Although both players are former World Cup and Pan American medalists, Harrison didn’t give up a point in either match.  

During her final with Roberge, Harrison took the lead when Roberge committed two penalties and held it when she threw the Canadian for a waza-ari (half-point) score. 

Harrison continued to dominate the match before throwing Roberge for a second waza-ari score to win the match in front of a raucous crowd at the Olympic qualifier and first-ever World Cup on U.S. soil.

“It's a real rush to hear the crowd: `Go Kayla! Let's go Kayla! USA!' You don't get that experience anywhere else in the world. So I'm grateful that we had it here,” she said.

Harrison's gold medal was the third for Team USA who finished the event with nine overall medals and placed just behind Canada who earned four first-place finishes and won the gold medal count.

In the 70kg division, Katie Sell (Colorado Springs, Colo. / USA Judo National Training Site at the Olympic Training Center) advanced to her first World Cup gold medal final match after winning bronzes at the Venezuela and El Salvador World Cups.

Facing Maria Perez (PUR) who had defeated Sell earlier this season in Venezuela, Sell fought well, but was caught with a throw for ippon and won the silver medal.

On the men’s side, Team USA earned double bronze in the 90kg division as both Senior World Team members placed third.

Garry St. Leger (Brooklyn, N.Y. / NYAC / Legrosports Starrett) nearly qualified for the gold medal round after winning his first two matches by ippons (full points) when he armbarred Reginald De Windt (AHO) and threw Juan Tavarez (DOM).

In the quarter-finals, St. Leger led by a waza-ari against Bruno Altoe (BRA), but Altoe came back to pin St. Leger for the win.

St. Leger fought through the repechage where he defeated Felipe Oliveira (BRA) by two waza-ari scores and threw 2009 Junior World Champion Quedjau Nhabali (UKR) for ippon to win his first World Cup bronze medal.

Larsen, who lost to Nhabali in the quarter-finals after winning his first two matches by ippon, won his repechage match against Gantumur Dashdavaa (MGL) by ippon and pinned Mark Anthony (AUS) to win bronze.

Samantha Bleier (Colorado Springs, Colo. / USA Judo National Training Site at the Olympic Training Center / 70kg), Daniel McCormick (Wakefield, Mass. / NYAC / USA Judo National Team FORCE / +100kg) and Toni Geiger (Dumont, N.J. / Tech Judo / +78kg) advanced to bronze medal matches as well, but each lost and placed fifth overall. 

Although the World Cup concluded on Saturday, competition will continue on Sunday with the U.S. Open Championships – a one-day event that will include many of the players from the 42 nations that competed in the World Cup. 

Complete results are as follows: 

Women’s 70kg
1. Maria Perez (PUR)
2. Katie Sell (Colorado Springs, Colo. / USA Judo National Training Site at the Olympic Training Center)
3. Maria Rojas (VEN)
5. Marie-Eve De-Viller-Matte (CAN)
5. Veronica Mendoza (ESA)
5. Samantha Bleier (Colorado Springs, Colo. / USA Judo National Training Site at the Olympic Training Center)

Also Competed: Laquinta Allen (Lauderdale Lakes, Fla. / Onikusu Judo Club), 0-2
Kelsi Bostic (Anderson, Ind. / Judan Judo), 0-1

Women’s 78kg
1. Kayla Harrison (Wakefield, Mass. / NYAC / USA Judo National Team FORCE) 2. Catherine Roberge (CAN)
3. Catherine Jacques (BEL)
3. Amy Cotton (CAN)
5. Keivi Pinto (VEN)
5. Stephanie Grant (AUS)

Also Competed: Katinna Rodriguez (Anchorage, Alaska / All-Star Judo), 0-2
Allison Clifford (San Jose, Calif. / USA Judo National Training Site at San Jose State University), 0-1
Suzie Rizek (Naperville, Ill. / Fox Valley Judo), 0-1

Women’s +78kg
1. Rochele Nunes (BRA)
2. Giovanna Blanco (VEN)
3. Larisa Ceric (BIH)
3. Janelle Shepherd (AUS)
5. Rafaela Nitz (BRA)
5. Toni Geiger (Dumont, N.J. / Tech Judo)

Also Competed: Wendie King (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Kim’s Martial Arts), 0-1

Men’s 81kg
1. Diogo Lima (POR)
2. Sandor Nagysolymosi (HUN)
3. Enmanuel Lucenti (ARG)
3. Salamu Mezhidov (RUS)
5. Ji-Seob Yoon (KOR)
5. Murat Shadov (RUS)

Also Competed: Travis Stevens (Wakefield, Mass. / NYAC / USA Judo National Team FORCE), 1-2
Jose Bencosme (San Jose, Calif. / USA Judo National Training Site at San Jose State University), 0-1
Phillip Spano (Tampa, Fla. / Tampa Judo), 0-1
Jonathan Fernandez (Miami, Fla. / Baragua Judo Kai), 0-1

Men’s 90kg
1. Alexandre Emond (CAN)
2. Bruno Altoe (BRA)
3. Garry St. Leger (Brooklyn, N.Y. / NYAC / Legrosports Starrett)
3. Jake Larsen (Colorado Springs, Colo. / Team FORCE / USA Judo National Training Site at the Olympic Training Center)
5. Quedjau Nhabali (UKR)
5. Mark Anthony (AUS)

Also Competed: Bobby Lee (Wakefield, Mass. / USA Judo National Team FORCE), 0-1
Aaron Cohen (Buffalo Grove, Ill. / NYAC / USA Judo National Training Site at the Olympic Training Center), 0-1

Men’s 100kg
1. Askhab Kostoev (RUS)
2. Magomed Magomedov (RUS)
3. Alex Aguiar (BRA)
3. Leonardo Leite (BRA)
5. Primoz Ferjan (SLO)
5. Italo Cordova (CHI)

Also Competed: Kyle Vashkulat (Glenville, N.Y. / NYAC / USA Judo National Training Site at the Jason Morris Judo Center), 1-2
Shintaro Higashi (Scarsdale, N.Y. / NYAC / Kokushi), 0-1
Myles Porter (Colorado Springs, Colo. / NYAC / USA Judo National Training Site at the Olympic Training Center), 0-1

Men’s +100kg
1. Sung-Bum Kim (KOR)
2. Matjaz Ceraj (SLO)
3. Orlando Baccino (ARG)
3. David Moura (BRA)
5. Jake Andrewartha (AUS)
5. Daniel McCormick (Wakefield, Mass. / NYAC / USA Judo National Team FORCE)

Also Competed: Mike Prieditis (Colorado Springs, Colo. / USA Judo National Training Site at the Olympic Training Center), 0-2
Conor Driscoll (San Jose, Calif. / USA Judo National Training Site at San Jose State University), 0-1

Tags: Kathleen Sell, Aaron Cohen, Allison Clifford, Daniel McCormick, Garry St. Leger, Jacob Larsen, Kathleen Sell , Katie Sell, Katinna Rodriguez, Kayla Harrison, Kelsi Bostic, Laquinta Allen, Samantha Bleier, Suzie Rizek, Toni Geiger, Wendie King