2011 Junior Olympics Reuslts

The 2011 Junior Olympics took place in Irving Texas from July 22-24. There were nearly 900 competitors from all over the United States making this the most successful Junior Olympic event in several years. The competition was amazing as many divisions were made up of experienced international and high level competitors attempting to obtain national points and make the IJF World Junior Team. Team Sacramento had five total competitors competing in seven divisions. Every player performed at a high level with several players turning heads and showing how competitive Team Sacramento judo is. Here is a listing of each individual performance:

Ashley Booth- 2-2 4th place- Ashley was one match from a medal as she lost a lead in the last minute of her match and ended up 4th.

Daniel Luz- 2-2 5th place- Daniel was in an extremely tough division and was also one match away from placing in the top three. Daniel also lost a lead against the silver medalist in the final minute and beat the bronze medalist in a preliminary match. This division was loaded with top future IJF national competitors.

Marlina Luz- 7-0 Gold & Gold (international)- Mina dominated her competition beating out two very tough competitors from Hawaii and then going on to win a gold in the international division. This is two years in a row for Mina as Junior Olympic Champion.

Curtis Booth- 5-3 Silver & Silver (international)- Curtis competed in a loaded division full of the next level of talent for the United States. His performance was typical Curtis as he competed and showed true spirit getting a come from behind victory for his silver medal. This means that Curtis placed in all three major junior level United States competitions!

Syria Rhodes- 4-2 Silver- Syria competed in an extremely difficult IJF division with competitors trying to secure a gold or a silver to make the United States Junior World Team and compete in Capetown South Africa in November. Syria had a very tough draw and lost her first match in golden score but then went on to four victories in a row even defeating her opponent from the first round loss then defeating a competitor that had been training in Japan to make the world team for her silver medal. She is the very first junior world team qualifier in Team Sacramento history and has earned it with her years of training and dedication. We are very proud of you Syria for representing our team and the United States!

Overall the team had a record of 20 wins with 9 losses and 15 wins by ipon. It cannot be overstated how tough of a tournament this was and all competitors should be congratulated for their success and above all admired for the work that they put in to achieve such success. We are so proud!

KONJO!