First, I would like to congratulate all the Florida Judoka that took part in
this event.

Second, special congrats to the Florida Judoka and former Florida Judoka (IF I
LEFT ANYONE OUT, I AM SORRY it is not my intentions to leave anyone out):

Female 44kg
1st, Veronica Prado ( Coral Springs , Fla. / USA Judo National Training Site at
North Miami & Ki-Itsu-Sai )

Women’s +78kg
2nd, Brittni Bradford (Live Oak, Texas / Universal Judo)[Formerly of Florida]

Men’s 55kg
1st, Santiago Martinez (COL, Coral Springs , Fla. / Ki-Itsu-Sai )

Men’s 55kg
2nd, Hiram Cruz (PUR, Judo Ryu Jacksonville)

Men's 55kg
5th, Steve Perez ( Miami , Fla. / Ki-Itsu-Sai)

Men’s 90kg
1st, Brian Olson ( Boulder , Colo. / NYAC / USA Judo National Training Site at
the Olympic Training Center )[Formerly of Florida]

Men’s +100kg
3rd, Anthony Turner ( Hialeah , Fla. / USA Judo National Training Site at North
Miami )


(See complete results below)


--- <USAjudonews@...> wrote:

Subject: U.S. Open Day 1 Results
Date: Fri, 19 Oct 2007 22:15:50 -0600
From: <USAjudonews@...>

Found at <http://www.usjudo.org/2007USOpenDay1Results.asp>

October 19, 2007

Brian Olson Begins Olympic Comeback with Gold at the U.S. Open, Rousey Earns
Third Straight Title



( Duluth , Ga. ) – It’s been just over three years
since Brian Olson


Brian Olson (blue) def. Garry St. Leger (white) in the
90kg finals.


Ronda Rousey (white) def. Gemma Gibbons (blue) in the
70kg finals.


70kg medals.


Ronda Rousey receives her $10,000 award check from CEO
Jose Rodriguez and President Dr. Ron Tripp.
(Boulder, Colo. / NYAC / USA Judo National Training
Site at the Olympic Training Center / 90kg) walked off
the mat for the last time at the 2004 Olympic Games in
Athens and his comeback was met at the U.S. Open on
Friday with much anticipation.

“I came in with three years worth of rust, but now I
feel like I’m down to about two and a half,” Olson
laughed after winning his sixth U.S. Open title. “It
was definitely tough and I don’t think I really
started finding my rhythm until that last match, but
it’s hard trying to getting back to the person you
were when you retired.”

The person Olson “was” is definitely a hard act to
live up to as the 34-year-old is a three-time Olympian
and former World medalist.

“Really the only pressure I felt coming into this was
from me,” Olson said. “[Coach] Eddie [Liddie] and I
talked about just wanting to get in here and get the
old feeling back. Win, lose or draw, we wanted to see
where I was at.”

Olson won his first three matches to advance to the
semifinals against Alexandre Emond (CAN). Although
Emond was up on points throughout the match, Olson
came back in the final minute to throw the Canadian
for the win to advance to the gold medal round against
top-ranked Garry St. Leger ( Brooklyn , N.Y. /
Starrett Judo), a bronze medalist at the Pan American
Championships.

Twenty-two-year-old St. Leger didn’t look the least
bit intimidated during the final round, attacking
consistently, but found himself down by a penalty
before ultimately losing when Olson caught him with an
armbar in the final minute.

“This being my first tournament back, to know that I’m
not yet training five days a week on the mat and
lifting every single day, but that I can still come
back and win and get into the Trials means a lot.
Getting into Trials is the first step. Now I just
need to work on building from here,” he said.

Olson’s win virtually guarantees him a slot in the
2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Judo, June 13-14 in
Las Vegas , Nev.

The men’s 81kg division featured a long-awaited
rematch between Travis Stevens ( Glenville , N.Y. /
USA Judo National Training Site at the Jason Morris
Judo Center ) and Aaron Cohen ( Buffalo Grove , Ill. /
NYAC / Cohen’s Judo).

Last year Stevens beat Cohen for the first time in the
finals of the Open – a win which would lead to three
more during a single evening at the Senior Nationals
and World Trials in April.

Now the #1 and reigning Pan American Games Champion,
Stevens appeared to have the edge coming into their
final match, but Cohen threw Stevens in the first
minute for a koka (smallest points) and then countered
his uchimata (inner thigh throw) three minutes into
the match to pick up a yuko (quarter-point).

With less than 30 seconds left, Stevens threw Cohen
for a waza-ari (half-point) with a sumi gaeshi
(sacrifice throw), but the throw was downgraded by the
side judges to a yuko score.

Both players picked up the pace, but Stevens didn’t
score again and Cohen won both the match and his first
U.S. Open gold.

Ronda Rousey ( Wakefield , Mass. / USA Judo National
Team FORCE) advanced to the finals of the 70kg
division, as was expected, quickly and efficiently,
ending each of her first two matches in less than a
minute before defeating Gemma Gibbons (GBR) in the
final with a throw for ippon (instant win)

The win is Rousey’s third in as many years after
taking the 2005 and 2006 titles in the 63kg division.


A silver medalist at the World Championships last
month, Rousey was recognized for her achievement prior
during Opening Ceremonies with a $10,000 award check.


One of Rousey’s former opponents, 17-year-old Kayla
Harrison ( Wakefield , Mass. / USA Judo National Team
FORCE / NYAC) won her second U.S. Open title on
Friday. After winning the Open division and earning a
silver medal in the 70kg division last year, Harrison
moved back down to 63kg in April and won her first
Olympic weight title in the division.

Ironically, Harrison ’s opponent was the same as
Rousey’s in 2006 – Canadian Jennie Bonsant.

After a back-and-forth match in which Harrison scored
after two minutes with a throw for a yuko, Bonsant
took the match to the ground several times.

Harrison managed to escape the groundwork, but It
wasn’t until the last minute when she threw Bonsant
again that she secured the win.

Heavyweight Heidi Moore ( Englewood , Colo. / Denver
Judo) won the +78kg division for her first U.S. Open
title when she choked Brittni Bradford ( San Antonio ,
Texas / Universal Judo) to win gold.

In the non-Olympic weight division of 44kg,
17-year-old Veronica Prado ( Coral Springs , Fla. /
USA Judo National Training Site at North Miami ) won
her round-robin division with three matches all by
ippon (instant win). Among Prado’s wins were throwing
2006 Champion Taylor Ibera (Honolulu, Hawaii / Hawaii
Tenri) as well as 2007 Pan Am medalist Alexa Liddie
(Colorado Springs, Colo. / USA Judo National Training
Site at the Olympic Training Center) and a last-minute
win against Katelyn Bouyssou (Hope, R.I. / Mayo
Quanchi Judo).

Katie Mocco (Glenville, N.Y. / NYAC / USA Judo
National Training Site at the Jason Morris Judo
Center) advanced to her first U.S. Open final since
moving from 70kg to 78kg.

Mocco secured her slot as the #1 U.S. player in the
division when she placed second in the Senior B-Level
Point Tournament behind two-time Pan American Champion
Amy Cotton (CAN) who pinned Mocco early in the match.


Although she lost in the final, Mocco did earn a key
win in the semifinals over 2007 Pan Am Championships
medalist Marylise Levesque (CAN).

Daniel McCormick ( Wakefield , Mass. / USA Judo
National Team FORCE) won his first U.S. Open silver
medal in the +100kg division. McCormick’s most
notable win was in the semifinals when he beat
Alexandru Ciupe (CAN) by two penalties to three.

In the 100kg division, Keith Morgan (CAN) defeated his
Canadian teammate Guillaume Cavali (CAN) in the first
minute of their final match.

Colombian Santiago Martinez ( Coral Springs , Fla. /
Ki-Itsu-Sai) went to Golden Score (overtime) in his
final against 2007 Senior National Champion Hiram Cruz
(PUR) before throwing Cruz for a koka a minute into
the Golden Score period.

Competition continues on Saturday with the women’s
48kg, 52kg, 47kg and open divisions and the men’s
60kg, 66kg, 73kg and open divisions.

Complete results are as follows:

Female 44kg
1. Veronica Prado ( Coral Springs , Fla. / USA Judo National Training Site at
North Miami )
2. Katelyn Bouyssou ( Hope , R.I. / Mayo Quanchi Judo Club)
3. Taylor Ibera ( Honolulu , Hawaii / Hawaii Tenri)
3. Alexa Liddie ( Colorado Springs , Colo. / USA Judo National Training Site at
the Olympic Training Center )


Women’s 63kg
1. Kayla Harrison ( Wakefield , Mass. / USA Judo National Team FORCE / NYAC)
2. Jennie Bonsant (CAN)
3. Maude-Helene Benoit (CAN)
3. Marti Malloy ( San Jose , Calif. / USA Judo National Training Site at San
Jose State University )
5. Emilie-Claude Leroux (CAN)
5. Isabelle Pearson (CAN)



Women’s 70kg
1. Ronda Rousey ( Wakefield , Mass. / USA Judo National Team FORCE / NYAC)
2. Gemma Gibbons (GBR)
3. Kathleen Sell ( Harlingen , Texas / USA Judo National Training Site at
Harlingen )
3. Megan Fletcher (GBR)
5. Sabrina Baron (CAN)
5. Anna-Soffia Vikingsdottir (ISL)


Female 78kg
1. Amy Cotton (CAN)
2. Katie Mocco ( Clifton Park , N.Y. / NYAC / USA Judo National Training Site at
the Jason Morris Judo Center )
3. Marylise Levesque (CAN)
3. Molly O'Rourke ( El Cerrito , Calif. / East Bay Judo Institute)
5. Nina Cutro-Kelly ( Schertz , Texas / Universal Judo)
5. Stephanie Grant (AUS)



Women’s +78kg
1. Heidi Moore ( Englewood , Colo. / Denver Judo)
2. Brittni Bradford (Live Oak, Texas / Universal Judo)
3. Melinda Swanson ( Honolulu , Hawiaii / Hawaii Tenri)
3. Lorey Eedwars ( Avon , Ohio / Chu To Bu)
5. Andrea Bongert ( Dubuque , Iowa / Sioux City )
5. Alyssa Coughy (CAN)


Men’s 55kg
1. Santiago Martinez ( COL )
2. Hiram Cruz (PUR)
3. Julien Paradis (CAN)
3. Keith Beauvais ( Thornton , Colo. / Northglenn Judo)
5. Steve Perez ( Miami , Fla. / Ki-Itsu-Sai)
5. Joshua Villani ( Bellevue , Wash. / Ippon Judo)



Men’s 81kg
1. Aaron Cohen ( Buffalo Grove , Ill. / NYAC / Cohen’s Judo)
2. Travis Steens ( Scotia , N.Y. / USA Judo National Training Site at the Jason
Morris Judo Center )
3. Tyler Boras (CAN)
3. Harry St. Leger ( Brooklyn , N.Y. / NYAC / Starrett Judo)
5. Andy Hung ( San Jose , Calif. / USA Judo National Training Site at San Jose
State University )
5. Kalem Kachur (CAN)



Men’s 90kg
1. Brian Olson ( Boulder , Colo. / NYAC / USA Judo National Training Site at the
Olympic Training Center )
2. Garry St. Leger (Brookly, N.Y. / NYAC / Starrett Judo)
3. Alexandre Emond (CAN)
3. Rick Hawn ( Eugene , Ore. / USA Judo National Team FORCE)
5. Fredrick Jaskiewicz (CAN)
5. David Ellis ( Roselle Park , N.J. / Cranford Judo)



Men’s 100kg
1. Keith Morgan (CAN)
2. Guillaume Cavali (CAN)
3. Andrew Burns (GBR)
3. Christian Aarona ( Waimanalo , Hawaii / Makiki Seid)
5. Shintaro Higashi ( Scarsdale , N.Y. / NYAC / Kokushi Budo Institute of N.Y.)
5. Victor Jean-Baptiste ( Brooklyn , N.Y. / NYAC)



Men’s +100kg
1. Yasutaka Ohkawa (JPN)
2. J. Daniel McCormick ( Arlington , Texas / NYAC / USA Judo National Team
FORCE)
3. Anthony Turner ( Hialeah , Fla. / USA Judo National Training Site at North
Miami )
3. Alexandru Ciupe (CAN)
5. James Thompson ( Las Vegas , Nev. / San Jose State University Alumni)
5. Jonathan Leonhardt ( San Jose , Calif. / USA Judo National Training Site at
San Jose State University )


________________________________

USA Judo | One Olympic Plaza Suite 505 | Colorado Springs, CO 80909
Telephone: (719) 866-4730 | Fax: (719) 866-4733