USA Junior judo Team to leave for Budapest

The team that will represent USA Judo in the Junior World Championships will depart Monday for Budapest, Hungary. Competition will be Thursday - Sunday, October 14-17. Athletes selected for the Team are the are the #1 ranked athletes under 20 years old, at the close of the 2004 Fall Classic National Championships on September 5th.

The Junior World Championship is the pinnacle of the sport for athletes under 20 years of age. Over 100 countries attend the event, which showcases the world's best up-and-coming athletes as well as athletes who are already Olympians, including USA's Ronda Rousey (Santa Monica, Calif.) and Nicole Kubes (Fort Worth, Texas), both of whom competed in Athens in August. At 17 years old, Ronda was the youngest player in the entire Olympic Judo event and Nicole was the next youngest, just 6 months older than Ronda. Both finished in ninth place. USA's representative at 60 kgs, is Kenny Hashimoto (Thornton, Colo.) who was the Olympic alternate at that weight.

Three other USA Olympians have won medals at the Junior World Championships: Jason Morris (Scotia, New York) 1992 Olympic silver medallist and four-time Olympian, who won bronze in 1986, Jimmy Pedro (Methuen, Mass.) two-time Olympic bronze medallist (1996, 2004), 1999 World Champion, and four-time Olympian, who won bronze in 1990, and Hillary Wolf (Colo. Springs), two-time Olympian, who won USA's only Junior World Championship in 1994.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (October 8, 2004) - The team that will represent USA Judo in the Junior World Championships will depart Monday for Budapest, Hungary. Competition will be Thursday - Sunday, October 14-17. Athletes selected for the Team are the are the #1 ranked athletes under 20 years old, at the close of the 2004 Fall Classic National Championships on Swptember 5th. The Junior World Championship is the pinnacle of the sport for athletes under 20 years of age. Over 100 countries attend the event, which showcases the world's best up-and-coming athletes as well as athletes who are already Olympians, including USA's Ronda Rousey (Santa Monica, Calif.) and Nicole Kubes (Fort Worth, Texas), both of whom competed in Athens in August. At 17 years old, Ronda was the youngest player in the entire Olympic Judo event and Nicole was the next youngest, just 6 months older than Ronda. Both finished in ninth place. USA's representative at 60 kgs, is Kenny Hashimoto (Thornton, Colo.) who was the Olympic alternate at that weight. Three other USA Olympians have won medals at the Junior World Championships: Jason Morris (Scotia, New York) 1992 Olympic silver medallist and four-time Olympian, who won bronze in 1986, Jimmy Pedro (Methuen, Mass.) two-time Olympic bronze medallist (1996, 2004), 1999 World Champion, and four-time Olympian, who won bronze in 1990, and Hillary Wolf (Colo. Springs), two-time Olympian, who won USA's only Junior World Championship in 1994.

The complete delegation is listed below.

Men
60 kg Kenny Hashimoto, Northglenn Judo Club, Thornton, CO
66 kg Josh O'Neill, Cohen's Judo Club (IL), Racine, WI
73 kg Michael Eldred, Western Idaho Judo ,Fruitland, ID
81 kg Harry St Leger, Starrett Judo Club, Brooklyn, NY
90 kg David Chapman, Jason Morris Judo, Scotia, NY
100 kg Johnathan Lambert, Yellowhill Judo, Cherokee, NC
+100 kg J Daniel McCormick, Kodokan Judo, Arlington, TX

Women
48 kg Christina Pro, South Hills Judo, Jefferson Hills, PA
52 kg Anna Palmer, OTC, Colo. Springs, CO
57 kg Katherine Ensler, Sooner Judo Club, Norman, OK
63 kg Ronda Rousey, Venice Judo, CA/Pedro's, MA, Santa Monica, CA
70 kg Lillie McNulty, Judo America, Altamont, NY
78 kg Nicole Kubes, Fort Worth Judo, Fort Worth, TX
+78 kg Garlyne Celestin, Starrett Judo, Brooklyn, NY