Mixed Team Bronze Caps Junior Pan Am Games
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by Bill Kellick
(Colorado Springs, CO) – Team USA wrapped up the judo competition at the Junior Pan American Games on Wednesday in Asuncion, Paraguay, with a bronze medal in the mixed team event. The performance gives the U.S. team nine total medals in the competition, second only to Brazil's 15 medals.
Team USA started off strong with a 4-0 win over Mexico. Following a 4-0 loss to Brazil in the next round, Team USA regrouped to shut out Chile in the repechage, 4-0, advancing to the bronze medal match against Canada. Tied at two matches apiece, the U.S. squad got back-to-back victories from Daniel Shulgin (Philadelphia, Pa. / Yawara Force Judo/Sambo Club) and Rhadi Ferguson, Jr. (Tampa, Fla. / High Noon Judo) to secure the victory.
Shulgin went the distance with silver medalist Arthur Karpukov in the men's 81kg category, scoring a yuko for the lone and deciding point in the match. Ferguson put the final stamp on the medal-winning performance by throwing Alisa Kofman for a waza-ari (half-point) 52 seconds into her women's +78kg contest, and then pinning her for a second waza-ari 25 seconds later as her teammates streamed onto the mat to celebrate the win.
Joining Shulgin and Ferguson on the mixed team were Jacob Yang (Los Angeles, Calif. / USA Judo National Resident Team) in men's 66kg, Nicole Cancela (Lake Worth, Fla. / Ki-Itsu-Sai National Training Center) in women's 57kg, Emily Jaspe (Hialeah, Fla. / Ki-Itsu-Sai National Training Center) in women's 63kg, and Kanta Ueyama (Burbank, Calif. / LA Tenri Judo) in men's +100kg.
Yang and Jaspe added to their individual silver medals at the event, while Ferguson and Ueyama will be taking home their second bronze medals.
Mixed Team Final Standings:
1. Brazil
2. Cuba
3. USA
3. Colombia
5. Canada
5. Peru
7. Paraguay
7. Chile
