Cadet World Team Announced

(Colorado Springs, CO) – USA Judo has named 20 athletes, ages 14-17, who will compete at the OTP Group Cadet World Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria, August 27-30. Nearly 600 judoka from 75 nations will compete in the event.

2025 Cadet World Championships Live Stream and Results

Team USA returns five athletes from the 2024 Cadet World Championship Team, including two top-10 athletes in their divisions – Kanta Ueyama (Burbank, Calif. / Los Angeles Tenri Judo Dojo) ranked No. 1 in the men’s +90kg division, and Aubrey Genereux (Port St. Lucie, Fla. / Ki-Itsu-Sai National Training Center) ranked No. 10 in the women’s 52kg division. Last year's cadet world champion, Jonathan Yang (Los Angeles, Calif. / United States Performance Center), has moved on to the junior ranks.

A look at the U.S. roster for the 2025 Cadet World Championships:

Women’s 44 kg
Fifteen-year-old Amaris Bell (Pembroke Pines, Fla. / Ki-itsu-sai National Training Center) will make her Cadet Worlds debut in Sofia. She is ranked #6 in the world among cadets and has recorded two international gold medals in 2025, winning the Pan American Cadet Championships in Lima, Peru, and the Cadet Pan American Cup in Panama City, Panama.

Men’s 50 kg
The youngest member of the men's squad, 14-year-old Samuel Abdelmalak (Punta Gorda, Fla. / Ki-itsu-sai National Training Center), will also be competing at his first Cadet World Championships. Abdelmalak took gold at the Cadet Pan American Cup in April and also won a bronze medal at the Pan American Cadet Championships that same month.

Women’s 48 kg
Malia Manibog (San Gabriel, Calif. / San Gabriel Judo) competed two years ago at the 2023 Cadet World Championships. The 16-year-old is ranked #14 in her division.  She is coming off a bronze-medal performance at the Junior Pan American Games in Asuncion, Paraguay. Earlier this year, she captured a silver medal at the Pan American Cadet Championships and a bronze medal at the Pan American Junior Championships.

Men’s 55 kg
Sebastian Teran (Pompano Beach, Fla. / Ki-itsu-sai National Training Center) is coming off gold medal performances at the Panama Cadet Pan American Cup in April and the Guayaquil Cadet Pan American Cup in May. The 15-year-old  also won a bronze medal at the Pan American Cadet Championships and will be making his Cadet World Championship debut in Sofia.

Women’s 52 kg
The U.S. team will enter two fighters in the women’s 52kg division in 16-year-old Aubrey Genereux (Port St. Lucie, Fla. / Ki-Itsu-Sai National Training Center) and 15-year-old Mackenzie McPherson (Miramar, Fla. / Budokan Judo Club in South Florida). Genereux is ranked #10 in the world in the women’s 52kg division and will be competing in her second Cadet Worlds. She won the silver medal at the 2025 Pan American Cadet Championships and earned a bronze medal in both the cadet and junior competition at this year's Guayaquil Cadet Pan American Cup. McPherson will be making her international debut in Sofia. She won gold in the cadet division and bronze in the junior division at the 2025 Junior Olympics.

Men’s 60 kg
The two U.S. entries in the men's 60kg class are 16-year-old Adrian Cohen (Vernon Hills, Ill. / Cohen Brothers Judo) and 16-year-old Liam Kesler (San Jose, Calif. / CJ Judo). Cohen won a bronze medal at this year's Pan American Cadet Championships and will be competing in his first Cadet World Championships, while Kesler will be making his international debut in Sofia.

Women’s 57 kg
Ellianna Abbott (Rayne, La. / Louisiana Judo), 17, will be competing in her second Cadet World Championships, while 15-year-old Logyn Lynn Puahala (Aiea, Hawaii / Hawaii Kaikaku Judo Club) takes part in her first international event following her cadet gold medal at the Junior Olympics. She also won bronze in the Junior Olympic junior division.

Men's 66 kg
Seventeen-year-old Anthony Reyes (Round Rock, Texas / Ki-Itsu-Sai National Training Center) will make his Cadet Worlds debut in Sofia after winning a bronze medal at the Guayaquil Cadet Pan American Cup.

Women’s 63 kg
Lily Oh (Ashburn, Va. / SportJudo), 16, enters her second Cadet World Championship event after winning this year's Junior Olympic Championships in Chicago.

Men’s 73 kg
Sixteen-year-old Ivan Baranau (Levittown, Pa. / Yawara Force Judo/Sambo Club) will be competing in his first international event in Sofia. He won the gold medal in the cadet division at this year's Junior Olympics.

Women’s 70 kg
Seventeen-year-old Chloe Williams (Stafford, Va. / High Noon Judo) is the elder stateswoman on the U.S. team, returning for her third Cadet Worlds. Williams was a bronze medalist at this year's Pan American Cadet Championships. She will be joined in the women’s 70kg division by 14-year-old Chrystal Monthe Noussi (Fort Worth, Texas / Fort Worth Judo Club), who will be making her Cadet Worlds debut as the youngest member of the women's team.

Men’s 81 kg
Another judoka making their international debut will be 17-year-old Derick Thomas, III (El Cerrito, Calif. / Berkeley Genco Judo Club). Thomas won the silver medal in the cadet division at this year's Junior Olympics.

Men’s 90 kg
Fifteen-year-old Nicholas Zadvinskiy (Staten Island, N.Y. / Cranford JKC) will be competing in his first Cadet Worlds in Sofia. Zadvinskiy won gold in the cadet division and silver in the junior division at the 2025 Junior Olympics.

Women’s +70 kg
Rhadi Ferguson, Jr. (Tampa, Fla. / High Noon Judo), 15, will also be making her first appearance at the Cadet Worlds. Ferguson is fresh off a bronze-medal performance at the Junior Pan American Games. Earlier in the year, she won a silver medal at the Pan American Cadet Championships.

Men’s +90 kg
Kanta Ueyama (Burbank, Calif. / Los Angeles Tenri Judo Dojo) is ranked #1 in the cadet men’s +90kg division and returns from the 2024 Cadet World Team. This year, Ueyama has won gold medals at the Pan American Cadet Championships and Panama Cadet Pan American Cup. He also captured a silver medal at the Panama Junior Pan American Cup and a bronze medal.

The complete delegation roster is as follows:

Men’s 50 kg
Samuel Abdelmalak (Punta Gorda, Fla. / Ki-itsu-sai National Training Center)

Men’s 55 kg
Sebastian Teran (Pompano Beach, Fla. / Ki-itsu-sai National Training Center)

Men’s 60 kg
Adrian Cohen (Vernon Hills, Ill. / Cohen Brothers Judo)
Liam Kesler (San Jose, Calif. / CJ Judo)

Men’s 66 kg
Anthony Reyes (Round Rock, Texas / Ki-Itsu-Sai National Training Center)

Men’s 73 kg
Ivan Baranau (Levittown, Pa. / Yawara Force Judo/Sambo Club)

Men’s 81 kg
Derick Thomas, III (El Cerrito, Calif. / Berkeley Genco Judo Club)

Men’s 90 kg
Nicholas Zadvinskiy (Staten Island, N.Y. / Cranford JKC)

Men’s +90 kg
Kanta Ueyama (Burbank, Calif. / Los Angeles Tenri Judo Dojo)

Women’s 44 kg
Amaris Bell (Pembroke Pines, Fla. / Ki-itsu-sai National Training Center)

Women’s 48 kg
Malia Manibog (San Gabriel, Calif. / San Gabriel Judo)

Women’s 52 kg
Aubrey Genereux (Port St. Lucie, Fla. / Ki-Itsu-Sai National Training Center)
Mackenzie McPherson (Miramar, Fla. / Budokan Judo Club in South Florida)

Women’s 57 kg
Ellianna Abbott (Rayne, La. / Louisiana Judo)
Logyn Lynn Puahala (Aiea, Hawaii / Hawaii Kaikaku Judo Club)

Women’s 63 kg
Lily Oh (Ashburn, Va. / SportJudo)

Women’s 70 kg
Chrystal Monthe Noussi (Fort Worth, Texas / Fort Worth Judo Club)
Chloe Williams (Stafford, Va. / High Noon Judo)

Women’s +70 kg
Rhadi Ferguson, Jr. (Tampa, Fla. / High Noon Judo)

The sport’s up-and-coming stars will battle throughout four days of individual competition beginning on Wednesday, August 27.

The competition schedule is as follows:

Wednesday, Aug. 27
Women’s 40 kg, 44 kg
Men’s 50 kg, 55 kg

Thursday, Aug. 28
Women’s 48 kg, 52 kg
Men’s 60 kg, 66 kg

Friday, Aug. 29
Women’s 57 kg, 63 kg
Men’s 73 kg, 81 kg

Saturday, Aug. 30
Women’s 70 kg, +70 kg
Men’s 90 kg, +90 kg