Team USA Goes for Gold at Cadet World Championships in Zagreb
by Nicole Jomantas
(Colorado Springs, CO) – Twenty of the best athletes ages 17 and under in the nation will take on nearly 600 judoka from 64 nations this week at the Cadet World Championships in Zagreb, Croatia.
2023 Cadet World Championships Live Stream and Results
The sport’s future Olympians will battle throughout four days of individual competition beginning on Wednesday.
Competition schedule is as follows:
Wednesday, Aug. 23
Men’s 50 kg, 55 kg
Women’s 40 kg, 44 kg
Thursday, Aug. 24
Men’s 60 kg, 66 kg
Women’s 48 kg, 52 kg
Friday, Aug. 25
Men’s 73 kg, 81 kg
Women’s 57 kg, 63 kg
Saturday, Aug. 26
Men’s 90 kg, +90 kg
Women’s 70 kg, +70 kg
With athletes competing in eight men’s and eight women’s weight categories, only six athletes across all nations have the advantage of entering the competition as returning medalists, leaving the field wide open for first-time champions to be crowned.
Team USA returns six athletes from the 2022 Cadet World Championship Team, including two No. 1 seeds in their divisions – Shavon Gonzalez (West Palm Beach, FL / Ki-Itsu-Sai National Training Center) and Emily Jaspe (Hialeah, FL / Ki-Itsu-Sai National Training Center) who are competing in the 70 kg and 63 kg divisions, respectively. Both athletes placed seventh at least year’s championships and have each earned medals on the Cadet European Cup circuit.
Men’s 50 kg
A pair of teammates from the Washington Judo Academy in Bellevue, WA, 14-year-old Ethan Boldbaatar and 15-year-old Damian Lang are each making their debut at a major international event in Zagreb. Lang won gold at the Youth National Championships in March while Boldbaatar earned the Junior Olympic title in June. The two follow in the footsteps of David Leiva (Miami, FL / Ki-Itsu-Sai National Training Center) who became the first U.S. man to win a Cadet World medal when he took bronze at this event last year.
Women’s 44 kg
Malia Manibog (San Gabriel, CA / San Gabriel Judo Dojo) also will be fighting at her first major international event at the Cadet World Championships. Manibog turns 15 on Wednesday – her competition day – and is the reigning gold medalist at both the 2023 Youth National and Junior Olympic Championships.
Men’s 55 kg
Sixteen-year-old Jonathan Yang (Los Angeles, CA / LA Judo Club) put the world on notice when he came away from his first major international event with a bronze at the Coimbra Cadet European Cup in May. Yang has been dominant on the domestic stage as well, winning gold at both the Junior Olympic and Youth National Championships at 55 kg and taking silver at Senior Nationals at 60 kg. Finishing second behind Yang at Youth Nationals was 16-year-old Henry Parsadanian (North Hollywood, CA) who won silver at Youth Nationals and bronze at the Junior Olympics. Cadet Worlds will be Parsadanian’s first major international tournament.
Women’s 48 kg
Harlee Hiller (Evanston, IL / Cohen Brothers Judo) will be returning to her second Cadet World Championships. A silver medalist at both the 2022 Junior and Cadet Pan American Championships, Hiller also has had tremendous success on the wrestling mat this season, winning the Junior Pan Am gold medal in April and placing second at the USA Wrestling Junior Nationals last month. Sixteen-year-old Samantha Garcia (Torrance, CA / Harbor Judo Dojo) will be competing in her first major international event after a gold medal win at Youth Nationals and a silver medal finish at the Junior Olympics.
Men’s 60 kg
The latest member of the Prado family to compete on the World Championship stage, 16-year-old Alex Prado (Coral Springs, FL / K-Itsu-Sai National Training Center) punched a ticket to his first major international tournament with a pair of gold medals at the Youth National and Junior Olympic Championships. Prado also holds gold and bronze medal finishes last fall on the Cadet Pan American Cup circuit.
Women’s 52 kg
Fifteen-year-old Allison Garcia (Torrance, CA / Harbor Judo Dojo) will join her older sister, Samantha, as the only set of siblings to compete for Team USA at this year’s Cadet Worlds. The Junior Olympic Champion also will be competing for the first time at a major international event.
Men’s 66 kg
Sixteen-year-olds Kevin Do Carmo (Lehigh Acres, FL / Ki-Itsu-Sai National Training Center) and Bilegt Erdenetsogt (Albany, CA / Berkeley Genco Judo Club) are each making their Cadet World Championship debuts in Zagreb. A silver medalist at Youth Nationals and bronze medalist at the Junior Olympics, Do Carmo comes in ranked No. 11 in the world after a pair of podium finishes on the Cadet Pan American circuit. Erdenetsogt punched his ticket to Zagreb with a gold medal at JO.
Women’s 57 kg
Seventeen-year-old Nicole Cancela (Coral Springs, FL / Ki-Itsu-Sai National Training Center) earned a seventh-place finish at the 2022 Cadet Worlds at 52 kg and moved up to 57 kg earlier this season where she won gold at the Junior Olympic Championships.
Men’s 73 kg
One of the youngest athletes competing at the 2022 Cadet Worlds, 15-year-old Anthony Farnot (Lehigh Acres, FL / Ki-Itsu-Sai National Training Center) comes into this year’s event ranked No. 3 in the world with three Cadet Pan American titles in the last year as well as both the 2023 Youth National and Junior Olympic titles.
Women’s 63 kg
Team USA will see both of its 63 kg athletes from the 2022 Cadet Worlds return to action in Zagreb. Seventeen-year-old Emily Jaspe (Hialeah, FL / Ki-Itsu-Sai National Training Center) comes in ranked No. 2 in the world. A gold medalist at both the Youth Nationals and Junior Olympics, Jaspe finished seventh at the 2022 Cadet Worlds and has claimed five Cadet Continental Cup titles in the last year. Jayda Fulp (Fort Worth, TX / Chandler Judo Academy) made her Cadet World debut last year as a 15-year-old and punched a ticket to her second Worlds with a silver medal finish at JOs. Like Hiller, Fulp has had success in wrestling this season as well, placing fourth at the USA Wrestling U16 Nationals.
Men’s 81 kg
Competing just over a week after his 16th birthday, Daniel Shulgin (Philadelphia, PA / Yawara Force) qualified for the Cadet Worlds with a gold medal win at the Junior Olympic Championships and will be competing on the world stage for the first time in Zagreb.
Women’s 70 kg
A five-time Continental Cup Champion, 17-year-old Shavon Gonzalez (West Palm Beach, FL / Ki-Itsu-Sai National Training Center) comes in as the World No. 1. A bronze medalist at both the 2022 Junior and Cadet Pan American Championships, Gonzalez earned silver at the Coimbra Cadet European Cup and has remained nearly unstoppable on the national circuit, winning gold at both the Youth Nationals and Junior Olympics. Fifteen-year-old Chloe Williams (Stafford, VA / Wall 2 Wall Martial Arts) will be competing at her first Cadet Worlds following a silver medal win at the Youth Nationals and bronze medal finish at Youth Nationals.
Men’s 90 kg
Sixteen-year-old Daniel Liubmimovski (Staten Island, NY / Colton Brown Training Center) won back-to-back titles at the Youth Nationals and Junior Olympics to qualify for his first Cadet World Team where he will compete on the IJF circuit for the second time after fighting at the Paks Junior European Cup earlier this summer.
Women’s +70 kg
Sixteen-year-old Kira Ferrandini (San Jose, CA / Nakano Judo Academy) qualified for her first Cadet World Team in her final year of cadet eligibility with her silver medal win at the Junior Olympics in June.
The complete delegation roster is as follows:
Coaches
Carrie Chandler (Fort Worth, TX)
Jhonny Prado (Coral Springs, FL)
German Velazco (Coral Springs, FL)
Men’s 50 kg
Ethan Boldbaatar (Bellevue, WA / Washington Judo Academy)
Damian Lang (Bellevue, WA / Washington Judo Academy)
Men’s 55 kg
Jonathan Yang (Los Angeles, CA / LA Judo Club)
Henry Parsadanian (North Hollywood, CA)
Men’s 60 kg
Alex Prado (Coral Springs, FL / Ki-Itsu-Sai National Training Center)
Men’s 66 kg
Bilegt Erdenetsogt (Albany, CA / Berkeley Genco Judo Club)
Kevin Do Carmo (Lehigh Acres, FL / Ki-Itsu-Sai National Training Center)
Men’s 73 kg
Anthony Farnot (Lehigh Acres, FL / Ki-Itsu-Sai National Training Center)
Men’s 81 kg
Daniel Shulgin (Philadelphia, PA / Yawara Force)
Men’s 90 kg
Daniel Liubmimovski (Staten Island, NY / Colton Brown Training Center)
Women’s 44 kg
Malia Manibog (San Gabriel, CA / San Gabriel Judo Dojo)
Women’s 48 kg
Harlee Hiller (Evanston, IL / Cohen Brothers Judo)
Samantha Garcia (Torrance, CA / Harbor Judo Dojo)
Women’s 52 kg
Allison Garcia (Torrance, CA / Harbor Judo Dojo)
Women’s 57 kg
Nicole Cancela (Coral Springs, FL / Ki-Itsu-Sai National Training Center)
Women’s 63 kg
Emily Jaspe (Hialeah, FL / Ki-Itsu-Sai National Training Center)
Jayda Fulp (Fort Worth, TX / Chandler Judo Academy)
Women’s 70 kg
Shavon Gonzalez (West Palm Beach, FL / Ki-Itsu-Sai National Training Center)
Chloe Williams (Stafford, VA / Wall 2 Wall Martial Arts)
Women’s +70 kg
Kira Ferrandini (San Jose, CA / Nakano Judo Academy)