U.S. Juniors Shoot For Gold in Lima

(Colorado Springs, CO) – Eighteen American athletes under the age of 21 are set to compete at the Junior World Championships starting Sunday in Lima, Peru. The U.S. team will be among 474 athletes from 66 nations participating in the three-day individual competition.

Team USA features six returning members from the 2024 Junior World Team as well as five athletes who fought at the Cadet Worlds in August.

The U.S. squad also boasts six athletes ranked among the top 20 in the world:

• Christopher Velazco (Coral Springs, Fla. / NYAC / Ki-Itsu-Sai National Training Center), World No. 2 at 60 kg and 2025 Junior Pan American and Oceania Championship silver medalist
• Emily Jaspe (Hialeah, Fla. / Ki-Itsu-Sai National Training Center), World No. 4 at 63 kg and 2024 Junior Pan American and Oceania Championship gold medalist
• Daniel Liubimovski (Staten Island, N.Y. / NYAC / Colton Brown Training Center), World No. 4 at 100 kg and 2025 Junior Pan American and Oceania Championship bronze medalist
• Jonathan Yang (Los Angeles, Calif. / USA Judo National Resident Team), World No. 6 at 60 kg and 2024 Cadet World Champion
• Oleksandr Nyzhnyk (Los Gatos, Calif. / Nakano Judo Academy / USA Judo National Resident Team), World No. 11 at 90 kg and 2025 Junior Pan American and Oceania Championship silver medalist
• Lenny Sheynfeld (Staten Island, N.Y. / NYAC / Pedro's Judo Center), World No. 17 at 66 kg and 2025 Junior Pan American and Oceania Championship silver medalist

Preview by Weight Category

Men’s 60 kg

Christopher Velazco (Coral Springs, Fla. / NYAC / Ki-Itsu-Sai National Training Center) and Jonathan Yang (Los Angeles, Calif. / USA Judo National Resident Team) team up to represent the strongest weight class for the U.S. team with Velazco competing at his fourth and final Junior Worlds and currently ranked No. 2 in the world and top seed in the tournament, and Yang, the 2024 Cadet World Champion, appearing in his second Junior World Championships. They will be tested by African Junior Champion Ahmed Alaoui Cherifi (MAR), two-time Junior World bronze medalist Talgat Orynbassar (KAZ), and Jhonathan Benavides (ECU), Senior Pan American and Oceania Championships bronze medalist and Junior Pan American and Oceania Championships gold medalist.

Women’s 48 kg

Malia Manibog (San Gabriel, Calif. / San Gabriel Judo) and Iya Sadanchikova (Santa Clara, Calif. / San Jose State University Judo) will both be making their Junior World Championship debuts in Lima. Manibog, a bronze medalist at this year's Junior Pan American Games, is ranked 21st in the division. 

Aitana Diaz Hernandez (ESP) is the top seed at 48 kg. She won the Cadet World title in 2023. Rounding out the top four seeds are Morgane Annis (FRA), Helen Habib (GER) and Sofia Mazzola (ITA).

Men’s 66 kg

Lenny Sheynfeld (Staten Island, N.Y. / NYAC / Pedro's Judo Center) is the world No. 17 at 66 kg and the 2025 Junior Pan American and Oceania Championship silver medalist. The top four seeds and top four in the world rankings at 66 kg include Dilshodbek Hamroyev (UZB), Mahammad Musayev (AZE), Shuntaro Fukuchi (JPN) and Oussama Abdelhak Hezil (ALG).

Women’s 52 kg

Two athletes are set to represent the U.S. in the women's 52 kg competition, with Harlee Hiller (Evansville, Ill. / Cohen Brothers Judo) making her second appearance and Mackenzie McPherson (Miramar, Fla. / Budokan Judo Club in South Florida) in action in her first Junior World Championship. World #1 Gaia Stella (ITA) and world #4 Nicole Marques (BRA) headline the division. Stella won this year's Junior European Championships, while Marques is a two-time bronze medalist at the Cadet World Championships.

Men’s 73 kg

Kai Wallace (Murrieta, Calif. / Los Angeles Tenri Judo Dojo) will make his Junior World debut at the age of 20. He was a bronze medalist at the 2023 Pan American and Oceania Junior Championships. The top four seeds in the division are defending Junior World Champion and 2022 Cadet World Champion Keito Kihara (JPN), European Junior Champion Irakli Goginashvili (GBR), Peter Jean (FRA) and African Junior Champion Abdeslam Belbelhout (ALG).

Women’s 57 kg

Also making their Junior Worlds debut in Lima will be 17-year-old Elsa Clark (Potomac, Md. / Sport Judo). She will contend with world #2 and European Junior Champion Michela Terranova (ITA), world #3 and defending bronze medalist Bianca Reis (BRA), world #4 and Asian Junior Champion Shahin Rajakbhai Darjada (IND), and world #5 and European Junior silver medalist Emma Melis (FRA).

Men’s 81 kg

Daniel Shulgin (Philadelphia, Pa. / Yawara Force Judo/Sambo Club) will bring his experience competing at the past two Cadet World Championships to his first foray into the Junior World Championships. Top seed and World No. 2 Suleyman Shukurov (AZE) is a returning bronze medalist. Mihajlo Simin (SRB) and Samariddin Muxibiddinov (UZB) are the second and third seeds, respectively, in the men’s 81 kg division. Simin is the European Junior Champion and Muxibiddinov won this year's Asian Junior Championships.

Women’s 63 kg

Team USA's top-ranked female is 19-year-old Emily Jaspe (Hialeah, Fla. / Ki-Itsu-Sai National Training Center), returning to her fourth Junior World Team in the 63 kg division. Ranked #4 in the world, Jaspe's main competition will come from the top-three seeds in Asian Junior Champion Himanshi Tokas (IND), defending silver medalist Savita Russo (ITA), and Pan American and Oceania Junior Champion Eduarda Bastos (BRA).

Men’s 90 kg

Twenty-year-old Oleksandr Nyzhnyk (Los Gatos, Calif. / Nakano Judo Academy / USA Judo National Resident Team) returns for his third straight Junior World Championships after winning a silver medal at this year's Pan American Junior Championships. He is ranked #11 in the men's 90 kg category. Top seed Alisher Samanov (UZB) is a returning bronze medalist and also won a silver medal at the 2022 Cadet World Championships. No. 2 seed Cristiano Mincinesi (ITA) is this year’s European Junior Champion and a silver medalist from the 2023 Cadet Worlds. Rounding out the top four seeds are 20-year-old Vadim Ghimbovschi (MDA), a defending bronze medalist, and 20-year-old Oleksii Boldyriev (POL).

 Women’s 70 kg

Chloe Williams (Stafford, Va. / High Noon Judo) returns for her second Junior World Championships. Williams won a bronze medal at this year's Pan American and Oceania Cadet Championships. Three of the world's top-four ranked 70 kg athletes will be competing in Lima. World #1 April Lynn Fohouo (SUI) is the defending silver medalist. Teophila Darbes-Takam (FRA) is ranked second, followed by world #4 and Pan American and Oceania Junior Champion Maria Eduarda Oliveira (BRA).

Men’s 100 kg

Daniel Liubimovski (Staten Island, N.Y. / NYAC / Colton Brown Training Center) competes in his second Junior World Championships at 18 years of age. Ranked #4 in the world and bronze medalist at this year's Pan American and Oceania Junior Championships, Liubimovski will face stiff competition from world #1 and two-time European Junior Champion Milan Bulaja (SRB), two-time European Junior Championships silver medalist Jakob Vares (EST), and African Junior Champion Othmane Arbaoui (ALG).

Women’s 78 kg

Eighteen-year-old Jayda Fulp (Fort Worth, Texas / Chandler Judo Academy) will also be making her debut at the Junior World Championships in Peru. A three-time member of the Cadet World Team, Fulp was the 2024 Pan American and Oceania Champion.

Lila Mazzarino (FRA) is the Junior World No. 1 and top seed in the women’s 78 kg competition. The 20-year-old won bronze at the 2022 Cadet World Championships and is a two-time European Junior Champion. Returning silver medalist Mathilda Sophie Niemeyer (GER) is the #2 seed, and returning bronze medalist Dandara Camillo (BRA) holds the #3 seed. Tania Murillo (COL) rounds out the top-four seeds in the women's 78 kg competition.

Men’s +100 kg

Team USA will have two first-time entrants in the men's +100 kg competition in 19-year-old Rufus Ferguson II (Tampa, Fla. / High Noon Judo) and 16-year-old Kanta Ueyama (Burbank, Calif. / Los Angeles Tenri Judo Dojo). Ueyama won gold at this year's Pan American and Oceania Cadet Championships.

Junior World No. 1 and Asian Junior Champion Fazliddin Rafikov (UZB) holds down the top seed in the men’s +100 kg competition. Three-time Pan American and Oceania Junior Championships silver medalist Jose Miguel Brache Jarquin (DOM) is the #2 seed. Rounding out the top four seeds is European Junior silver medalist Mortaza Suha (GER) and Pan American and Oceania Junior Champion Andrey Coelho (BRA).

Women’s +78 kg

The youngest member of Team USA, 15-year-old Rhadi Ferguson, Jr. (Tampa, Fla. / High Noon Judo), will be the lone U.S. competitor in the women's +78 kg division. Two-time Cadet World Championships medalist and defending Junior World silver medalist Celia Cancan (FRA) is the top seed in the women’s +78 kg category. She is joined in the top four seeds by returning bronze medalist Safa Soliman (EGY), reigning Cadet World Champion Umida Nigmatova (UZB) and 2024 Cadet World Championships silver medalist Leonie Minkada-Caquineau (FRA).

Complete USA Junior World Roster:

Women’s 48 kg
Malia Manibog (San Gabriel, Calif. / San Gabriel Judo)
Iya Sadanchikova (Santa Clara, Calif. / San Jose State University Judo)

Women’s 52 kg
Harlee Hiller (Evansville, Ill. / Cohen Brothers Judo)
Mackenzie McPherson (Miramar, Fla. / Budokan Judo Club in South Florida)

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

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

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

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

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

Men’s 60 kg
Christopher Velazco (Coral Springs, Fla. / NYAC / Ki-Itsu-Sai National Training Center)
Jonathan Yang (Los Angeles, Calif. / USA Judo National Resident Team)

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

Men’s 73 kg
Kai Wallace (Murrieta, 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. / Nakano Judo Academy / USA Judo National Resident Team)

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

Men’s +100 kg
Rufus Ferguson II (Tampa, Fla. / High Noon Judo)
Kanta Ueyama (Burbank, Calif. / Los Angeles Tenri Judo Dojo)

Competition schedule is as follows:

Sunday, Oct. 5
Men’s 60 kg and 66 kg
Women’s 48 kg, 52 kg and 57 kg

Monday, Oct. 6
Men’s 73 kg and 81 kg
Women’s 63 kg and 70 kg

Tuesday, Oct. 7
Men’s 90 kg, 100 kg and +100 kg
Women’s 78 kg and +78 kg