Team USA Enters World Championships with Five Athletes Ranked in the Top 20

(Tokyo, Japan) – With the first stage of Olympic qualification completed after the USA World Cup in Miami last weekend, Team USA will enter the Senior World Championships this week with five athletes ranked in the top 20. 

The World Championships, which begins on Thursday, comes on the heels of a long summer of Olympic qualifying World Cup tournaments in which Team USA won a record 43 medals between May and August at events in Sao Paulo, Brazil; Isla de Margarita, Venezuela; San Salvador, El Salvador and Miami, Fla. 

“The schedule this summer was definitely challenging for these guys, but it paid off both in terms of putting our athletes in a good situation as we work towards qualifying as many slots as possible for the London Games and it gave them lots of new international exposure in preparation for the World Championships,” said USA Judo Director of Athlete Performance Eddie Liddie (Colorado Springs, Colo.)  “This is a very young World Team, but they’ve already had a lot of success this season and that will help immensely with confidence at this event.” 

Liddie worked with Senior World Team Coach Jimmy Pedro (Methuen, Mass.) to create travel and funding opportunities for a select group of U.S. athletes, nearly all of whom became first-time medalists. 

“We had a lot of younger athletes at these World Cups and they really performed at a high level, winning medals, making finals, locking up serious points.  This gives them the confidence that they can do it and they belong at this level,” said Pedro who added that “I’m very proud of this crew.  They bond well as a team.  They really compete as a team and once one did well they all stepped up.  They’re so young that from here they should only get better with the experience of the Worlds.” 

Athletes ranked in the top-20 in the world this week include the following players: 

#12 (57kg)
Marti Malloy (San Jose, Calif. / USA Judo National Training Site at San Jose State University), 2010 Pan American silver medalist and two-time World Cup Champion

#13 (78kg)
Kayla Harrison (Wakefield, Mass. / NYAC / USA Judo National Team FORCE), 2010 Pan American bronze medalist and four-time World Cup Champion

#16 (81kg)
Travis Stevens (Wakefield, Mass. / NYAC / USA Judo National Team FORCE), 2010 Pan American bronze medalist and four-time World Cup medalist

#16 (66kg)
Brad Bolen (Glenville, N.Y. / NYAC / USA Judo National Training Site at the Jason Morris Judo Center), 2010 Pan American Champion and Venezuela World Cup silver medalist

#19 (73kg)
Nick Delpopolo (Wakefield, Mass. / NYAC / USA Judo National Team FORCE), two-time World Cup Champion and USA World Cup bronze medalist

Under the new Olympic qualification system, the top 14 women and 22 men in each weight division on the World Ranking List after April 30, 2012 will qualify to compete at the 2012 Olympic Games.  The World Ranking List includes results at World Cup and Pan American Championship events as well as the World Championships which remain the single largest Olympic qualifying event.

“I think what American judo public needs to understand is there’s a lot of strategy involved in qualifying this time around.  It’s no longer about being the best in the United States or even the Pan American Union,” Pedro said.  “All of these tournaments, and definitely the World Championships will directly impact who qualifies for London.  This year is the first time they’re letting two athletes per weight division compete at the Worlds and it’s going to be harder than ever.  Next year it’s only going to get even more competitive.  The difference may come down to five points or even one point counts and our athletes need to earn them now.  With Eddie and me having a good understanding of this process, it will help us qualify as many slots as possible for the U.S. in 2012.”

Tags: Brad Bolen, Eddie Liddie, Jimmy Pedro, Kayla Harrison, Marti Malloy, Nick Delpopolo, Travis Stevens