(Colorado Springs, CO) – One of the highlights of the year for the nation’s top young judoka will take place this weekend when 43 U.S. athletes go for gold at the Pan Am U15 and U13 Championships in Lima, Peru.

Competition will be held on Friday for the U13 tournament followed by U15 categories on Saturday. This year's tournament also will include mixed team events with the U13 competition taking place on Saturday and the U15 events taking place on Sunday.

The U.S. team will fight top athletes in the region from countries including Brazil, Mexico, Canada, Peru, Ecuador, Chile, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.

Team USA won 35 medals at this event in 2022 and this year the United States will field a stacked squad going into the tournament.

Among the 20 athletes competing in the U15 tournament are five medalists from the 2022 U13 event who have aged up.

A two-time medalist in the U13 category, 12-year-old Samuel Abdelmalak (Punta Gorda, FL / Chief Pride Judo) won gold at 34 kg in 2022 and soon became the top-ranked athlete in the nation this season at 40 kg this year with back-to-back gold medals at the Youth National Championships in March and the Junior Olympics in June.

Twelve-year-old Chrystal Monthe Noussi (Fort Worth, Texas / Fort Worth Judo) will fight in a new category this year, shifting to the U15 58 kg division after winning the +52 kg title at U13 last year and silver at 52 kg in 2021. Monthe Noussi is a two-time medalist this year on the national circuit, winning gold at the Junior Olympics after a silver medal finish at Youth Nationals.

The silver and bronze medalists from the U13 42 kg category in 2022, 13-year-olds Amaris Bell (Pembroke Pines, FL / Budokan Judo) and Nur Azametli (Sandy Utah, USA Stars), have both moved up to the U15 event and will compete together at 44 kg. Azametli, who also won silver at 34 kg at this event in 2021, won both the Youth National and Junior Olympic titles in her new category this season while Bell earned bronze at Youth Nationals.

A gold medalist at 47 kg in the U13 event in 2021 and bronze medalist last year, 13-year-old Sebastian Teran (Pompano Beach, FL / Ki-Itsu-Sai National Training Center) will fight at 48 kg as a U15 athlete after winning bronze in his new category at Youth Nationals.

Team USA’s U13 lineup features 23 athletes, including five returning medalists from the 2022 Pan Am U13 Championships.

After winning gold in 2012, 12-year-old Taylor Do Carmo (Lehigh Acres, FL / Chief Pride Judo) moved up from 31 kg to 34 kg where he is undefeated in major events this season, taking the 2023 Junior Olympic and Youth National Championship titles as well as gold in the international division at JOs.

Twelve-year-old Daniel Lima (Coral Springs, FL / Ki-Itsu-Sai National Training Center) also has been dominant in a new division this year, winning the Youth National and Junior Olympic titles at 47 kg after taking bronze at 42 kg a the 2022 U13 Pan Ams.

Khantenger Erdembilegt (Bellevue, WA / Washington Judo Academy) is returning to the 52 kg division where he won bronze at this event last year. The 12-year-old has been undefeated in the category on the national events circuit, taking gold at the Junior Olympic and Youth National Championships as well as the international Junior Olympic competition.

A bronze medalist in the 28 kg division at the 2022 Pan Am U13 event, 12-year-old Lily Infantado (Fort Myers, FL / Chief Pride Judo) has since moved up to 31 kg where she won a gold medal at this year’s Youth Nationals.

Fabrizzio Teran (Pompano Beach, FL / Ki-Itsu-Sai National Training Center) won gold last year as an 11-year-old competing in the 34 kg category. Teran has moved up to 38 kg where he won silver at Youth Nationals and bronze at the Junior Olympics this year.

Team USA’s coaching staff includes:

Danny Rodriguez (Lehigh Acres, FL / Chief Pride Judo Club)
Luis Lima (Coral Springs, FL / Ki-Itsu-Sai National Training Center)
Nicole Harada (Gardena, CA / Harbor Judo Dojo)
Liane Harada (Gardena, CA / Harbor Judo Dojo)
Jhonny Prado (Coral Springs, FL / Ki-Itsu-Sai National Training Center)

The complete athlete roster is as follows:

U15 Men’s 36 kg
Brayden LeSon (Seal Beach, CA / Los Angeles Tenri)

U15 Men’s 40 kg
Samuel Abdelmalak (Punta Gorda, FL / Chief Pride Judo)

U15 Men’s 44 kg
Dmitry Kondratev (Brooklyn, NY / Darfight)

U15 Women’s 44 kg
Nur Azametli (Sandy Utah, USA Stars)
Amaris Bell (Pembroke Pines, FL / Budokan Judo)

U15 Men’s 48 kg
Alexander Shvarstman (Deerfield, IL / Cohen Brothers)
Sebastian Teran (Pompano Beach, FL / Ki-Itsu-Sai National Training Center)

U15 Women’s 48 kg
Tatum Park (Torrance, CA / Harbor Judo Dojo)

U15 Men’s 53 kg
James Clark (Potomac, MD / Sport Judo)
Davit Kachachyan (North Hollywood, FL / LA Judo Club)
Maxim Latman (Brooklyn, NY / Darfight)

U15 Women’s 53 kg
Aubrey Genereux (Port Saint Lucie, FL / Suncoast Warriors Judo Team)

U15 Men’s 58 kg
Skylor Chan (Bellevue, WA / Washington Judo Academy)
Daniel Gonzalez (Schaumburg, IL / European Judo Academy)

U15 Women’s 58 kg
Chrystal Monthe Noussi (Fort Worth, TX / Fort Worth Judo)

U15 Men’s 64 kg
Armen Khayalyan (Panorama City, CA / Hayastan Judo)
Damian Padron (Lehigh Acres, FL / Chief Pride Judo Club)

U15 Women’s 64 kg
Alessia Quinto (Katy, TX / Westlake Judo)

U15 Men’s +64 kg
Marcus Parks Jr. (Dallas, TX / Eastside Dojo)
Nicholas Zadvinskiy (Staten Island, NY / Cranford JKC)

U13 Men’s 28 kg
Alexander Abovyan (Glendale, CA / Glendale Judo Academy)
Devin Nishimura (Renton, WA / Washington Judo Academy)

U13 Women’s 28 kg
Maya Marin (Whittier, CA / Harbor Judo Dojo)

U13 Men’s 31 kg
Felipe Avila (Miami Lakes, FL / Budokan Judo School)

U13 Women’s 31 kg
Lily Infantado (Fort Myers, FL / Chief Pride Judo)
Kailee Sanjur (Watauga, TX / Fort Worth Judo)

U13 Men’s 34 kg
Taylor Do Carmo (Lehigh Acres, FL / Chief Pride Judo)
U13 Women’s 34 kg
Jelisa Antolin (Ewa Beach, HI / Hawaii Kaikaku Judo Club)
Clara Notopradono (San Gabriel, CA / Colton Brown Training Center)

U13 Men’s 38 kg
Fabrizzio Teran (Pompano Beach, FL / Ki-Itsu-Sai National Training Center)
Robert Vardanyan (Arleta, CA / Hayastan Judo)

U13 Women’s 38 kg
Maribelle Deaver (North Fort Myers, FL / Chief Pride Judo Club)
Abby Tavarez (Fort Myers, FL / Chief Pride Judo Club)

U13 Men’s 42 kg
Johan Badillo (Lehigh Acres, FL)
Joshua Davlatov (Deerfield, IL / JS Martial Arts)
Daniel Korolyev (Brooklyn, NY / Darfight)

U13 Women’s 42 kg
Logan Teramoto (Pearl City, HI / Hawaii Kaikaku Judo Club)

U13 Men’s 47 kg
Khangarid Erdembilegt (Bellevue, WA / Washington Judo Academy)
Daniel Lima (Coral Springs, FL / Ki-Itsu-Sai National Training Center)
Knox Williams (Stafford, VA / Wall 2 Wall Martial Arts)

U13 Men’s 52 kg
Khantenger Erdembilegt (Bellevue, WA / Washington Judo Academy)

U13 Men’s +52 kg
Michael Oviedo (Hialeah, FL / Budokan Judo School)
Landon Williams (Stafford, VA / Wall 2 Wall Martial Arts)

Team USA to Compete at Pan Am U15 and U13 Championships this Weekend

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