Karlee Carrouth Wins First Junior European Cup Title for Team USA Since 2017

(Colorado Springs, CO) – Fighting for the second time ever at a Junior European Cup, 19-year-old Karlee Carrouth (Oklahoma City, OK / NYAC / USA Stars) won gold in Graz, Austria on Saturday and became the first U.S. athlete to win a Junior European Cup title since 2017.

2023 Graz Junior European Cup Results

Carrouth follows in the footsteps of Nefeli Papadakis (Gurnee, IL) who won the Athens Junior European Cup in 2017 at age 18 and went on to compete at the Tokyo Olympic Games and John Jayne (Chicago, IL) – a three-time Senior World Team member who won gold at the 2017 Arad Junior European Cup at age 20 and is a top hopeful for the Paris Games.

The reigning Senior National Champion who is preparing to compete at her second Junior World Championships in October, Carrouth finished the day with five straight victories in the 63 kg category against a field of top European competitors.

In the first round, Carrouth took on Blanca Uijtendaal (NED), a silver medalist at the Birmingham Junior European Cup, throwing the Hungarian for a waza-ari (half-point) early in the first minute and again for ippon in the third minute.

Carrouth earned a quick win in the second round, throwing Saraphina Muhammed (GER) in the first 10 seconds and threw 2022 Cadet World bronze medalist Savita Russo (ITA) for a waza-ari in the third minute to advance to the medal rounds.

In the semifinals, Carrouth pinned 2019 Cadet World bronze medalist Anna Kriza (HUN) in the final 30 seconds.

With a medal secured, Carrouth met Antonietta Palumbo (ITA) in the finals and threw the No. 2 athlete in the junior world rankings for ippon early in the third minute.

Carrouth’s gold medal allows her to climb the junior world rankings to No. 30 with more points on the line at the Junior Pan American Championships in September.

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

Men’s 60 kg
1. Talgat Orynbassar (KAZ)
2. Michael Augusto (BRA)
3. Roger Pereira (BRA)
3. Toma Gelashvili (GEO)
5. Simone Aversa (ITA)
5. Marcus Auer (AUT)
7. Christopher Velazco (Coral Springs, FL / NYAC / Ki-Itsu-Sai National Training Center)
7. Ulan Yeleussizov (KAZ)

Also Competed: Joshua Yang (Los Angeles, CA / LA Judo Club), 0-1

Women’s 48 kg
1. Merve Azak (TUR)
2. Sofia Mazzola (ITA)
3. Rebeka Rita Koszegi (HUN)
3. Sila Ersin (TUR)
5. Anneliese Fielder (AUS)
5. Rafaela Batista (BRA)
7. Vera Wandel (NED)
7. Giulia Giorgi (ITA)

Men’s 66 kg
1. Robert Sorkin (ISR)
2. Akylzhan Zhubatkanov (KAZ)
3. Alessio De Luca (ITA)
3. Aleko Kasradze (GEO)
5. Tengo Zirakashvili (GEO)
5. Ronald Lima (BRA)
7. Eran Fiks (ISR)
7. Aron Gabor (HUN)

Women’s 52 kg
1. Micaela Sciacovelli (ITA)
2. Luciana Catana (ROU)
3. Luca Mamira (HUN)
3. Carina Klaus-Sternwieser (AUT)
5. Masa Slavinec (SLO)
5. Fabiane Pires (BRA)
7. Rebeka Keller (HUN)
7. Gaia Stella (ITA)

Men’s 73 kg
1. Giorgi Loladze (GEO)
2. Vincenzo Pelligra (ITA)
3. Yevhen Honcharko (UKR)
3. Philip Drexler (GER)
5. Dimitar Gospodinov (BUL)
5. Gergely Adorjani (HUN)
7. Levi Maerkt (GER)     
7. Nazar Kulieshov (UKR)

Also Competed: Kai Wallace (Murrieta, CA / LA Tenri Judo), 2-1
Ruslan Korotich (Houston, Texas / Revolution Dojo), 0-1

Women’s 57 kg
1. Bianca Reis (BRA)
2. Verena Hiden (AUT)
3. Beatriz Comanche (BRA)
3. Luna Verfaillie (BEL)
5. Natascha Lauber (GER)
5. Sarah Souza (BRA)
7. M  aud Lavrijssen (NED)
7. Nehle Wakup (GER)

Men’s 81 kg
1. Luka Babutsidze (GEO)
2. Alessandro Bellini (ITA)
3. Joshua De Lange (NED)
3. Aleksandre Loladze (GEO)
5. Yaniv Agronov (ISR)
5. Igor Tsurkan (UKR)
7. Caspar Golland (GER)
7. Luka Turazashvili (GEO)

Danylo Korotich (Houston, Texas / Revolution Dojo), 0-1

Women’s 63 kg
1. Karlee Carrouth (Oklahoma City, NYAC / USA Stars)
2. Antonietta Palumbo (ITA)
3. Lisa Tretnjak (AUT)
3. Esmee Kroon (NED)
5. Anna Kriza (HUN)
5. Savita Russo (ITA)
7. Emily Starzer (AUT)
7. Aqulina Chayeb (LBN)

Men’s 90 kg
1. Tommaso Fava (ITA)
2. Floris Den Hartog (NED)
3. Tamaz Koberidze (GEO)
3. Lars Van Oostrum (NED)
5. Giorgi Jabniashvili (GEO)
5. Andrea Raffaeli (ITA)
7. Armin Pacariz (GER)
7. Giorgi Khmaladze (GEO)

Women’s 70 kg
1. Elena Dengg (AUT)
2. Samira Bock (GER)
3. Tayla Grauer (GER)
3. Nika Koren (SLO)
5. Tanja Gruenewald (GER)
5. Nadia Swinkels (NED)
7. Kaillany Cardoso (BRA)
7. Hanna Balogh (ROU)

Men’s 100 kg
1. Mikheil Japaridze (GEO)
2. Joes Schell (NED)
3. Bogdan Petre (ROU)
3. Jean Carletti (ITA)
5. Erekle Bazierishvili (GEO)
5. Benjamin Mataseje (SVK)
7. Timon Riemens (NED)
7. Rares Arsenie (ROU)

Women’s 78 kg
1. Mathilda Sophie Niemeyer (GER)
2. Laura Summer (AUT)
3. Nikolett Sagi (HUN)
3. Sofija Pajic (BIH)
5. Berber Ludema (NED)
5. Eleonora Giusti (ITA)
7. Nika Jakus (CRO)
7. Ema Kolmanko (SLO)

Men’s +100 kg
1. Shalva Gureshidze (GEO)
2. Ucha Tabatadze (GEO)
3. Daniel Udsilauri (GER)
3. Darius Gerogescu (ROU)
5. Nikita Nikitenko (GER)
5. Levente Dobos (HUN)
7. Gyorgy Lakatos (HUN)
7. Giorgi Tabatadze (GEO)

Women’s +78 kg
1. Katia Alves (BRA)
2. Gabrielle Bouvier (BEL)
3. Paulien Sweers (NED)
3. Duygu Dirgen (TUR)
5. Tiziana Marini (ITA)
5. Enya Pires (BRA)
7. Paula Pastiu (ROU)
7. Maria Colito (POR)