Judo: Sixteen U.S. Athletes to Compete at OJU World Cup This Weekend Sixteen U.S. athletes will compete in the Oceania Judo Union World Cup in Apia, Samoa this weekend.
Sixteen U.S. athletes will compete in the Oceania Judo Union World Cup in Apia, Samoa this weekend.
Team USA will include nine former World Team members, including two who have been in a back-and-forth battle for status as the #1 73kg player in the United States.
Michael Eldred (Fruitland, Idaho / Western Idaho Judo Institute), the two-time Senior National Champion and current top-ranked player in the division, won a bronze at this event in 2009 and has five World Cup medals to his credit.
Second-ranked Nick Delpopolo (Wakefield, Mass. / NYAC / USA Judo National Team FORCE) will move into the #1 position if he places equal to or higher than Eldred.
The two players, who are expected to be on opposite sides of the draw, last fought at the Venezuela and El Salvador World Cups where Delpopolo took both wins in June.
Also vying for a #1 ranking is Aaron Cohen (Buffalo Grove, Ill. / NYAC / USA Judo National Training Site at the Olympic Training Center), a five-time Pan Am medalist in the 81kg division, who will move up to the top spot in the 90kg division if he places in the top five in Samoa.
On the women’s side, 2010 World Team members Christal Ransom (Colorado Springs, Colo. / USA Judo National Training Site at the Olympic Training Center / 63kg) and Toni Geiger (Dumont, N.J. / Tech Judo / +78kg) have both placed in the top five on the World Tour, but will each need a medal win to move up to the #1 ranking in their respective divisions.
Competition will be held on Friday and Saturday with the divisions to be contested as follows:
Friday, November 12
Women’s 48kg, 52kg and 57kg
Men’s 81kg, 90kg, 100kg and +100kg
Saturday, November 13
Women’s 63kg, 70kg, 78kg and +78kg
Men’s 60kg, 66kg and 73kg
The roster of U.S. athletes competing is as follows:
Men’s 60kg
Jeff Fujimoto (Berkeley, Calif. / Cal Judo Club)
Men’s 66kg
Toshiya Nishimura (Colorado Springs, Colo. / USA Judo National Training Site at the Olympic Training Center)
Men’s 73kg
Michael Eldred (Fruitland, Idaho / Western Idaho Judo Institute)
Nick Delpopolo (Wakefield, Mass. / NYAC / USA Judo National Team FORCE)
Men’s 90kg
Aaron Cohen (Buffalo Grove, Ill. / NYAC / USA Judo National Training Site at the Olympic Training Center)
Aaron Handy (Wakefield, Mass. / USA Judo National Team FORCE)
Men’s +100kg
Mike Prieditis (Colorado Springs, Colo. / USA Judo National Training Site at the Olympic Training Center)
Women’s 48kg
Ann Shiraishi (San Francisco, Calif. / East Bay Judo Institute)
Women’s 52kg
Angelica Delgado (Miami, Fla. / USA Judo National Training Site at South Florida)
Women’s 57kg
Anna Palmer (Colorado Springs, Colo. / USA Judo National Training Site at the Olympic Training Center)
Women’s 63kg
Christal Ransom (Colorado Springs, Colo. / USA Judo National Training Site at the Olympic Training Center)
Leilani Akiyama (Bellevue, Wash. / U.S. Judo Training Center)
