Capra Wins Bronze, Hickham Places Sixth at Flanders Cup

(Colorado Springs, Colo.) - Competing for the first time for the United States, Thomas Capra, a dual citizen of the United States and France, won a bronze medal in the U17 73kg division on Sunday at the Flanders Cup in Lommel, Belgium.  

The son of French parents whose father once trained at Tohkon Judo in Chicago, Capra won his first two matches by ippon (instant win), but lost his third match to Alwyn Clark (GBR) by a yuko (quarter-point).   

In a unique format, players fought in a round-robin pool before advancing to the main draw where he won his first match and lost his second.  In the bronze medal round, Capra threw his Belgian opponent for ippon with a drop seoi nage (dropping shoulder throw).   

Patrick Hickam (Jacksonville, N.C. / Mayfield's Martial Arts Academy) placed sixth in the U15 +66kg division.  Hickam went 1-3 in the division, earning his win off a throw for a waza-ari (half-point) and a pin with two of his losses coming by yuko scores and the third from a pin.  

Complete results are as follows:

Male U15 34kg
1. Kieran Davin (GBR)
2. Tibo Volleman (NED)
3. Joey Korver (NED)

Male U15 38kg
1. Maxim Degroote (BEL)
2. Mathijs Van Harten (NED)
3. Yourig Mertens (BEL)

Male U15 42kg
1. Sander Van Den Bossche (BEL)
2. Brandon Ter Hoeven (NED)
3. Liam Rowles (GBR)

Male U15 46kg
1. Ruben Cappaert (BEL)
2. Karim Maekelberg  (BEL)
3. Sam Hall (GBR)

Male U15 50kg
1. Kevin Bakker (NED)
2. Liran Shemtov (ISR)
3. Brandon Tegelaar (NED)

Male U15 55kg
1. Gourgen Aleksanyan (BEL)
2. Thomas Snijders (NED)
3. Brent Van Hecke (BEL)

Male U15 60kg
1. Yannick Wauters (BEL)
2. Christof Pareyn (BEL)
3. Ruben Van De Steen (NED)

Male U15 66kg
1. Kenzo Breda (BEL)
2. Eividas Zemaitaitis (LTU)
3. Rex Stoelinga (NED) 

Male U15 +66kg
1. Bernard Klijnstra (NED)
2. Paulikas Rokas (LTU)
3. Gabor Schuld (GER)

Also Competed: Patrick Hickam (Jacksonville, N.C. / Mayfield's Martial Arts Academy), 1-3

Female U15 36kg
1. Eveline Audiens (BEL)
2. Laura Donker (NED)

Female U15 40kg
1. Esmeralda Puts (NED)
2. Dani Cramer (NED)
3. Larissa Algoet (BEL)

Female U15 44kg
1. Brianne Juliana (NED)
2. Brittany Van Gerhardt (NED)
3. Evi Vermandere (BEL)

Female U15 48kg
1. Zoe Michels (LUX)
2. Maxine Heyns (BEL)
3. Merel Wit (NED)

Female U15 52kg
1. Fibe De Pauw (BEL)
2. Melissa Caponio (BEL)
3. Diana Krumnia (LAT)

Female U15 57kg
1. Catharina Van Der Wal (NED)
2. Berthe Bonne (BEL)
3. Nicole Folkertsma (NED)

Female U15 63kg
1. Prisca Awiti-Aicaraz (GBR)
2. Annelieke Scheerlen (BEL)
3. Michelle De Schryver (BEL)

Female U15 +63kg
1. Larissa Groenwold (NED)
2. Charline Leisberger (NED)
3. Ilona Savelkoul (GER)

Male U17 50kg
1. Adrian Quertimont (BEL)
2. Nicolas Plomb (BEL)
3. Jeroen Nelis (BEL)

Male U17 55kg
1. Kevin Gijs (BEL)
2. Geoffrey Maes (BEL)
3. Jim Buissink (NED)

Male U17 60kg
1. Arne Maes (BEL)
2. Benjamin Delonghies (BEL)
3. Alco Hofstee (NED)

Male U17 66kg
1. Jordy Bakkes (NED)
2. Timothy Pletincky (BEL)
3. Ruben Liveyns (BEL)

Male U17 73kg
1. Jeremy Bottieau (BEL)
2. Steven Cuypers (BEL)
3. Thomas Capra (USA)

Male U17 81kg
1. Mewen Ferey-Mondesir (FRA)
2. Armen Sahakyan (BEL)
3. Mex Devreeze (NED)

Male U17 90kg
1. Philip Awiti-Alcaraz (GBR)
2. Oliver Moens (BEL)
3. Henk Van Arnhem (NED)

Male U17 +90kg
1. Lee Fitzgerald (GBR)
2. Matthias Van Den Dungen (BEL)
3. Jonathan Dziergwa (BEL)

Female U17 44kg
1. Lizzy Coenraad (NED)
2. Elza Dauti (BEL)
3. Elke Vermandere (BEL)

Female U17 48kg
1. Melissa Macias Juarez
2. Evelien Cappaert (BEL)
3. Elisa Arenai (LUX)

Female U17 52kg
1. Do Veleman (NED)
2. Charlotte Villalard (FRA)
3. Lisa Leyman (BEL)

Female U17 57kg
1. Rotem Shor (ISR)
2. Laura Natoli (BEL)
3. Jolien Vanendert (BEL)

Female U17 63kg
1. Lise Luyckfasseel (BEL)
2. Caroline De Wit (NED)
3. Fiona de Witte (BEL) 

Female U17 70kg
1. Lola Mansour (BEL)
2. Yvonne Odink (NED)
3. Karen Stevenson (NED)

Female U17 +70kg
1. Dyantha Jansen (NED)
2. Nathalie Claes (BEL)
3. Yvette Soesbergen (NED)

Male U20 55kg
1. Gert Maes (BEL)
2.  Tom Schmit (LUX)
3. Matthias Rypens (BEL)

Male U20 60kg
1. Mike Demiddele (BEL)
2. Wessel Anne Van Der Ploeg (NED)
3. Aaron Turner (GBR) 

Male U20 66kg
1. Soren Hapers (BEL)
2. Ben Zehavy (ISR)
3. Joris Soek (NED)

Male U20 73kg
1. Kristof Timmermans (BEL)
2. Mayerbek Abdukaziev (BEL)
3. Neal Coppieters (BEL)

Male U20 81kg
1. Dennis Puttkamer (NED)
2. Jimmy Tembuyser (BEL)
3. Jan Mark Janmaat (NED)

Male U20 90kg
1. Ruben Vermeiren (BEL)
2. Avraham Baruch (ISR)
3. Raphael Dubois (BEL)

Male U20 +100kg
1. Pedram Moradashkafti (BEL)
2. Mathias Decoster (BEL)
3. Brendan Mans (NED)

Women's U20 48kg
1. Adi Topaz (ISR)
2. Daisy Van Loo (NED)
3. Karen Duquesnoy (FRA)

Women's U20 52kg
1. Laura Paquet (FRA)
2. Anais Bracaval (FRA)
3. Chloe Jackson (GBR)

Women's U20 57kg
1. Sarah Gysels (BEL)
2. Idra Abdelmonumeni (FRA)
3. Amber Van Gerhardt (NED)

Women's U20 63kg
1. Clarisse Agbegnenou (FRA)
2. Sophia Kerbachi (FRA)
3. Karolina Talach (POL)

Women's U20 70kg
1. Roxanne Taeymans (BEL)
2. Laurie Van Aelst (BEL)
3. Melanie Savelkoul (GER)

Women's U20 78kg
1. Inge Ekenhorst (NED)
2. Lena Helena Terasa Buseman (NED)
3. Patycja Lorenc (POL)

Women's U20 +78kg
1. Nawel Boualem (FRA)
2. Monica Bank (POL)
3. Ruth Vanherwegen (BEL)