Shavon Gonzalez Places Seventh at Cadet Worlds

(Colorado Springs, CO) – Shavon Gonzalez (West Palm Beach, FL / Ki-Itsu-Sai National Training Center) matched her 2022 Cadet World Championships finish with a seventh-place result for the second straight year on Saturday.

2023 Cadet World Championship Results

Competing in the 70 kg division in Zagreb, Croatia, Gonzalez earned a first-round bye as the No. 1 seed and choked Maria Michail (CYP) in the opening minute of the round of 16.

In the quarter-finals, Gonzalez was thrown for a waza-ari score by two-time Cadet Asian Cup medalist Mushtariybegim Afsalova (UZB) who went on to win bronze.

Gonzalez was thrown for two scores (waza-ari and ippon) in the repechage by 2023 Teplice Cadet European Cup medalist Xanne Van Lijf (NED) who went on to win the division’s other bronze medal.

Fifteen-year-old Chloe Williams (Stafford, VA / Wall 2 Wall Martial Arts) won her opening match in the 70 kg division at her first Cadet Worlds. Williams trailed by a waza-ari against two-time Cadet Continental Cup medalist Anissa Ibatolla (KAZ), but didn’t give up and pinned Ibatolla with two minutes remaining on the clock. In the round of 16, Williams gave eventual silver medalist Tuana Gulenay (TUN) one of her greatest challenges of the day. Gulenay threw Williams early in the match, but the American nearly came away with the win, scoring a waza-ari on a pin, coming seconds away from the full 20 seconds needed for ippon. With the score tied, Gulenay threw Williams again to win the match.

Sixteen-year-old Kira Ferrandini (San Jose, CA / Nakano Judo Academy) also fought at her first Cadet Worlds on Saturday, but was thrown and pinned in the +70 kg category by Zeineb Troudi (TUN) who went on to finish fifth.

On the men’s side 16-year-old Daniel Liubminovski (Staten Island, NY / Colton Brown Training Center) lost the opening round at his first Cadet World Championships. Libuminonvski was thrown by Luigi Barbero (ITA) for a waza-ari score in the opening minute and penalized for head diving later in the match.

Top eight and U.S. results are as follows:

Men’s 90 kg
1. Nikita Yudanov (UKR)  
2. Cristiano Mincinesi (ITA)
3. Berikbol Zhumanbekov (KAZ)
3. Hakimjon Makhkamov (UZB)
5. Aslan Kotsoev (AZE)
5. Emil Jabiyev (SWE)
7. Rokas Rapkevicius (LTU)
7. Marko Bozic (CRO)

Also Competed: Daniel Liubminovski (Staten Island, NY / Colton Brown Training Center), 0-1

Women’s 70 kg
1. Aleksandra Andric (SRB)
2. Tuana Gulenay (TUR)
3. Xanne Va Lijf (NED)
3. Mushtariybegim Afsalova (UZB)
5. Anna Oliinyk-Korniiko (UKR)
5. Aurora Mengia (ITA)
7. Shavon Gonzalez (West Palm Beach, FL / Ki-Itsu-Sai National Training Center)
7. Lizi Kvartskhava (GEO)

Also Competed: Chloe Williams (Stafford, VA / Wall 2 Wall Martial Arts), 0-1

Men’s +90 kg
1. Ibrahim Tataroglu (TUR)
2. Matheo Akiana Mongo (FRA)
3. Shotiko Gochiashvili (GEO)
3. Ramazan Ahmadov (AZE)
5. Elnur Kholmuminov (UZB)    
5. Mateja Borojevic (SRB)
7. Kris Oliver Siewe Djiekam (FRA)
7. Nozomu Miki (JPN)

Women’s +70 kg
1. Hyeonji Lee (KOR)
2. Tomoka Inoue (JPN)
3. Zuzanna Banaszewska (POL)
3. Celia Cancan (FRA)
5. Zeineb Troudi (TUN)
5. Helene Schrattenholzer (AUT)
7. Guldana Tengelbayeva (KAZ)
7. Marie Kosnarova (CZE)

Also Competed: Kira Ferrandini (San Jose, CA / Nakano Judo Academy), 0-1