[Sportsandrec] FW: 2009 Pan American Games for the Blind - Judo results

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Subject: 2009 Pan American Games for the Blind - Judo results



Team USA Wins 17 Medals at the Pan American Games for the Blind in Colorado
Springs





(Colorado Springs, Colo.) - For blind and visually impaired judo players,
there isn't an extensive international competition calendar outside of the
World Championships and Paralympic Games. 

But 14 members of Team USA had two opportunities on Saturday - the chance to
represent their country as well as the ability to compete against
international players on their home soil at the U.S. Olympic Training Center
in Colorado Springs.

Beijing Paralympian Myles Porter (Colorado Springs, Colo. / USA Judo
National Training Site at the Olympic Training Center / Boulder Judo
Training Center) was considered Team USA's favorite for gold and he
delivered, winning both the 100kg and open division with none of his four
matches lasting longer than a minute before each opponent found himself on
his back.

"Today was right on par with what we expected at this point," Porter said.
"There were some really good players here and I was coming off a knee
injury, but conditioning and excellent coaching prevailed."

Like the rest of his teammates, Porter's focus now shifts to the U.S. Open,
Sept. 25-26 in San Jose, Calif., where he will compete in both the sighted
and visually impaired divisions.

"I'll fight seniors on Friday and then Trials [for the 2010 World
Championships for the Blind] are on Saturday, so I'm really looking forward
to both," Porter said.  "This is the first time the visually impaired
division has been held at the U.S. Open and San Jose's a great city, so it
should be a good event."

For Lori Pierce (Aurora, Colo. / Denver Judo), the Pan Ams were her first
international event since she won the silver medal at the 2004 Paralympic
Games in Athens.

Competing in the +70kg division, Pierce avenged her loss in April at the
National Championships to Katie Davis (Sacramento, Calif. / Team Sacramento)
by throwing Davis for yuko (quarter-point) and waza-ari (half-point) scores
and ending the match with a second waza-ari. 

Pierce lost her next match to Leina Ruvalcaba (MEX), the reigning World and
Paralympic silver medalist in the 70kg division, when she was thrown for
ippon (instant win) with an o soto gari (outer leg throw).

"I took some time off after Athens because I really needed a break," said
Pierce who is majoring in child psychology and communications at the
University of Texas.  "The women's division has definitely gotten a lot
stronger in the past couple years.  There's a lot of very good international
competitors, but I just need to work on getting stronger."

Pierce went on to say that she plans on returning to her former 70kg
division with the goal of qualifying for the 2012 Paralympic Games in
London.

Competing in his first international event for visually impaired players,
Jason Keaton (Elizabethtown, K.Y. / Ft. Knox Judo) showed that he could be a
dark horse leading at the 2010 World Championships.  An MMA fighter who went
by the name of "Blind Fury," Keaton took each of his first two matches at
90kg to the ground where he armbarred both Chris Jones (Pinole, Calif. /
Cahill's) and Alexander Radoman (CAN).  Keaton was injured during his match
with Radoman, however, and was forced to withdraw before his final match
against Jorge Daniel Lencina (ARG), leaving Keaton with a silver medal.

The brother of two-time Paralympian Scott Jones (Little Rock, Ark. / Little
Rock Judo), Ryan Jones (Aurora, Colo. / Denver Judo) fought up from his
normal 100kg division to +100kg.

In a sport where most athletes cut weight, Jones spent the day before
weigh-ins eating often to make sure he met the 100.1kg minimum weight
requirement for the division. 

The weight disparity was put on display quickly when Jones's first match was
against Johann Shockency (Andover, Minn. / Bemidji State University Judo)
who outweighed Jones by nearly 150 pounds. 

Shockency earned the first score of the match with a yuko, but Jones
regained control of the match when he threw Shockency twice with drop seoi
nages (dropping shoulder throws), first for a waza-ari and then for ippon.

Jones won the silver medal in the division after a loss to William Montero
(VEN).

A team competition also was held in the men's division.  Venezuela placed
won the gold medal; Argentina took the silver and Team USA earned the
bronze.

The team was led by Head Coach Scott Moore (Denver, Colo.) and Assistant
Coach Raul Tamayo (Redwood City, Calif.)  Tamayo was the Head Coach of the
2008 Paralympic Team where he was assisted by Scott Moore who previously won
three Paralympic medals during his own athletic career.  Marc Vink
(Riverton, N.J.) was the Team Leader.

Complete results of the individual divisions are as follows:

Men's 60kg
1. Juan Pablo Catellanos (COL)
2. Eduardo Guato (ARG)
3. Justyn Karn (CAN)
3. Ron Hawthorne (Kansas City, Kans. / Welcome Mat)

Men's 66kg
1. Wilson Alzate (COL)
2. Marcos Jose Falcon Ovar (VEN)
3. Luis Perez (PUR)

Men's 73kg
1. Eduardo Avila (MEX)
2. Rodolfo Fabian Ramirez (ARG)
3. Mauricio Briceno Diaz (VEN)
3. Michael Davis (Sacramento, Calif. / Team Sacramento)

Men's 81kg
1. Jose Effron (ARG)
2. Reinaldo Rafael Carvallo (VEN)
3. Adnan Gutic (St. Louis, Mo. / Wellman White Dragon)
3. Romeo Edmead (New York City, N.Y. / Oishi Dojo)

Men's 90kg
1. Jorge Daniel Lencina (ARG)
2. Jason Keaton (Elizabethtown, K.Y. / Ft. Knox Judo)
3. Chris Jones (Pinole, Calif. / Cahill's)
3. Alexander Radoman (CAN)

Men's 100kg
1. Myles Porter (Colorado Springs, Colo. / USA Judo National Training Site
at the Olympic Training Center / Boulder Judo Training Center) 
2. Tim Rees (CAN)
3. Martin Langworthy (Salt Lake City, Utah / USA Stars)

Men's +100kg
1. William Montero (VEN)
2. Ryan Jones (Aurora, Colo. / Denver Judo)
3. Johann Shockency (Andover, Minn. / Bemidji State University Judo)

Men's Open
1. Myles Porter (Colorado Springs, Colo. / USA Judo National Training Site
at the Olympic Training Center / Boulder Judo Training Center) 
2. Tim Rees (CAN)
3. Ron Hawthorne (Kansas City, Kans. / Welcome Mat)

Women's 52kg
1. Tina Thomas (Los Angeles, Calif. / Mojica Judo)

Women's 63kg
1. Naomi Alejandra (VEN)
2. Christella Garica (Sacramento, Calif. / Sacramento Judo)

Women's +70kg
1. Leina Ruvalcaba (MEX)
2. Lori Pierce (Aurora, Colo. / Denver Judo)
3. Katie Davis (Sacramento, Calif. / Team Sacramento)