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Junior Olympic Champions Qualify for 2025 Junior and Cadet World Championships

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by Bill Kellick

2024 Cadet World Champion Jonathan Yang qualified for his second Junior World Team at the USA Judo Junior Olympics in Bedford Park, Illinois (Photo by Roy Nanjo)

(Colorado Springs, Colo.) – Thirty athletes earned direct qualification positions on the 2025 Junior and Cadet World Championship Teams through their gold medal wins at this past weekend’s USA Judo Junior Olympic National Championships in Bedford Park, Ill.

The athletes who qualified in Bedford Park to represent Team USA will be joined by wild card qualifiers who earned positions based on their national rankings with the complete team to be announced in the coming weeks.

Cadet Qualifiers: (Front Row l to r) Emma Matsunaga, Lily Oh, Amaris Bell, Rhadi Ferguson, Mackenzie McPherson, Chloe Williams, Logyn Lynn Puahala and Malia Manibog. (Back row l to r) Judah Harris, Saul Usain Gutierrez Reinoso, Nicholas Zadvinskiy, Ivan Baranau, Aldar Tugulchiev, Liam Kesler, Sebastian Teran and Samuel Abdelmalak

All 16 members of the Cadet World Team qualifiers will have the opportunity to compete at the 2025 Cadet World Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria, from Aug. 27-31.

Women's 40kg
Emma Matsunaga (Chicago, Ill. / Tohkon Dojo)

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

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

Women's 52kg
Mackenzie McPherson (Miramar, Fla. / Budokan Judo Club in South Florida)

Women's 57kg
Logyn Lynn Puahala (Aiea, Hawaii / Hawaii Kaikaku Judo Club)

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

Women's 70kg
Chloe Williams (Stafford, Va. / High Noon Judo)

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

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

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

Men's 60kg
Liam Kesler (San Jose, Calif. / CJ Judo)

Men's 66kg
Aldar Tugulchiev (Brooklyn, N.Y. / Darfight)

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

Men's 81kg
Saul Usain Gutierrez Reinoso (Houston, Texas / HTX Judo)

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

Men's +90kg
Judah Harris (Kenly, N.C. / Black ICE Fitness)

Junior Qualifiers: (Front Row l to r) Shavon Gonzalez, Emily Jaspe, Elsa Clark, Malia Manibog, Harlee Hiller, Rhadi Ferguson and Jayda Fulp. (Back Row l to r) Rufus Ferguson, Daniel Shulgin, Oleksandr Nyzhnyk, Lenny Sheynfeld, Daniel Liubimovski, Jonathan Yang and Kai Wallace.

The junior team qualifiers include three of the cadet qualifiers as well as returning Junior World Team members who will have the opportunity to compete at the 2025 Junior World Championships in Amman, Jordan, from Oct. 23-27:

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

Women’s 52 kg
Harlee Hiller (Evansville, Ill. / Cohen Brothers Judo Club)

Women’s 57 kg
Elsa Clark (Potomac, Md. / SportJudo)

Women’s 63 kg
Emily Jaspe (Hialeah, Fla. / Ki-itsu-sai National Training Center)

Women’s 70 kg
Shavon Gonzalez (West Palm Beach, Fla. / Ki-itsu-sai National Training Center)

Women’s 78 kg
Jayda Fulp (Fort Worth, Texas / Chandler Judo Academy)

Women’s +78 kg
Rhadi Ferguson* (Tampa, Fla. / High Noon Judo)

Men’s 60 kg
Jonathan Yang (Los Angeles, Calif. / USA Judo National Resident Team / L.A. Judo Club)

Men’s 66 kg
Lenny Sheynfeld (Staten Island, N.Y. / New York Athletic Club / Pedro's Judo Center)

Men’s 73 kg
Kai Wallace (Murrietta, Calif. / Los Angeles Tenri Judo Dojo)

Men’s 81 kg
Daniel Shulgin (Philadelphia, Pa. / Yawara Force Judo/Sambo Club)

Men’s 90 kg
Oleksandr Nyzhnyk (Los Gatos, Calif. / USA Judo National Resident Team / Nakano Judo Academy)

Men’s 100 kg
Daniel Liubimovski (Staten Island, N.Y. / New York Athletic Club / Colton Brown Training Center)

Men’s +100 kg
Rufus Ferguson (Tampa, Fla. / High Noon Judo)

*Indicates qualifier for both Junior and Cadet World Teams.

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