Historic Performance for Team USA at Lima Grand Prix
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by Bill Kellick
Less than two years out from the Olympic Games in Los Angeles, U.S. judoka captured the most medals ever won by an American team at an International Judo Federation (IJF) World Judo Tour event. Team USA tallied five medals at the Lima Grand Prix, held Aug. 14-16 in Peru. On two previous occasions -- the 2013 Tashkent Grand Prix and the 2017 Cancun Grand Prix -- the U.S. team won four medals. Fifty nations and 296 athletes participated in the Lima Grand Prix event.
Olympians Jack Yonezuka (West Long Branch, N.J. / NYAC / Cranford JKC) and Maria Laborde (Kenosha, Wis. / NYAC / Ki-Itsu-Sai National Training Center), along with 2024 Cadet World Champion Jonathan Yang (Los Angeles, Calif. / NYAC / USA Judo National Resident Team), led the way with silver-medal performances. They were joined on the podium by bronze-medal winners Johan Silot (Salem, Mass. / NYAC / Pedro's Judo Center) and Christopher Velazco (Coral Springs, Fla. / NYAC / Ki-Itsu-Sai National Training Center).
Yonezuka, ranked #4 in the world in the men's 73 kg division, stormed to Saturday's final with three consecutive victories by ippon (instant win). He began the day by throwing Ronal Gonzalez (PAN) for ippon in the fourth minute of their round of 16 match. In the quarterfinals against Guilherme De Oliveira (BRA), Yonezuka took the Brazilian to the ground in the final minute to get the ippon by submission. Facing World #10 and six-time Grand Prix medalist Giovanni Esposito (ITA) in the semifinals, Yonezuka again took to the mat in the final seconds to score the ippon and secure his place in the final.
In the gold-medal match against Vlad Mitru (MDA), the Moldovan scored the winning ippon at the beginning of the fourth minute to take the victory. The silver medal was Yonezuka's third career Grand Prix medal and second of 2026.
Also securing her third career Grand Prix medal on Friday was Laborde. The tournament's #1 seed and World #6 in the women's 48 kg division, Laborde took a similar path to the final, winning all her matches by ippon. Her opening match against Nemesis Candelo (PAN) went to Golden Score (sudden-death overtime) before Candelo incurred her third and disqualifying penalty. Then, facing Ashleigh Barnikel (GBR) in the quarterfinals, Laborde executed a beautiful throw for ippon in the match's third minute. The semifinal match against three-time Cadet World Champion Clarice Ribeiro (BRA) also went to Golden Score, with the Brazilian picking up her third penalty, advancing Laborde to the final.
Against reigning world champion Assunta Scutto (ITA) in the final, the Italian took Laborde to the ground in the fourth minute and secured the victory via pin.
Yang, 19, earned his first career Grand Prix medal, taking silver in the men's 60 kg competition. He went 3-1 on Friday, with his only loss coming against World #5 Michel Agusto (BRA). Yang's path to the final included wins over Joshua Katz (AUS), Diego Ismael (BRA) and Asier Murillo Martinez de Lizarrondo (ESP). In a tightly-contested final, Agusto was able to score the only point of the match, a yuko, in the third minute to claim the gold medal.
Silot, who won his first career Grand Prix medal (a silver) in Lima last October, claimed his second medal in the same locale on Saturday. He went 4-1 on the day, winning his first three matches, by penalty over Alain Mikael Aprahamian (URU), by waza-ari over Noah Boue Kossa (FRA) and by ippon over Jaeyun Sim (KOR). After losing in the semifinals to David Lima (BRA) by yuko, Silot regrouped to defeat Vincenzo Pelligra (ITA) in the bronze medal contest, scoring the winning waza-ari in the fourth minute of Golden Score.
Velazco went 3-1 on Friday to join Yang on the men's 60 kg podium. He opened with a win by ippon over Kobe Chavez (CHI), then won in Golden Score by penalty over Andrea Carlino (ITA). In a close semifinal match against eventual gold medalist Augusto, the Brazilian scored the only point of the contest with a yuko in the opening minute. Velazco captured his first career Grand Prix medal with a brilliant osaekomi against Ismael with just 30 seconds remaining in the bronze medal contest.
Top-seven finishes were recorded by Oleksandr Nyzhnyk (Burlingame, Calif. / USA Judo National Resident Team) in the men's 90 kg division and Alex Semenenko (Staten Island, N.Y. / NYAC / Generation Judo Club) in the men's +100 kg division.
Top eight and U.S. results are as follows:
Men’s 60 kg
1. Michel Augusto (BRA)
2. Jonathan Yang (Los Angeles, Calif. / NYAC / USA Judo National Resident Team)
3. Andrea Carlino (ITA)
3. Christopher Velazco (Coral Springs, Fla. / NYAC / Ki-Itsu-Sai National Training Center)
5. Asier Murillo Martinez de Lizarrondo (ESP)
5. Diego Ismael (BRA)
7. Abdulrahman Alsaiari (KSA)
7. Louis Pestelard (FRA)
Women's 48 kg
1. Assunta Scutto (ITA)
2. Maria Laborde (Kenosha, Wis. / NYAC / Ki-Itsu-Sai National Training Center)
3. Catarina Costa (POR)
3. Sarah Ischt (GER)
5. Gabriela Narvaez (PAR)
5. Clarice Ribeiro (BRA)
7. Ashleigh Barnikel (GBR)
7. Eduarda Francisco (BRA)
Men's 66 kg
1. Radu Izvoreanu (MDA)
2. Denis Vieru (MDA)
3. Jonathan Benavides (ECU)
3. Miguel Nery Gago (POR)
5. Ronald Lima (BRA)
5. Franco Baltazar (PER)
7. Charlie Young (GBR)
7. Julien Prascadore (CAN)
Also Competed: Jacob Yang (Los Angeles, Calif. / USA Judo National Resident Team), 1-1; Lenny Sheynfeld (Staten Island, N.Y. / NYAC / Pedro's Judo Center), 0-1.
Women's 52 kg
1. Rafaela Rodrigues (BRA)
2. Francine Echevarria (PUR)
3. Driulys Rivas (PER)
3. Tihea Topolovec (CRO)
5. Soumiya Iraoui (MAR)
5. Brillith Gamarra (PER)
7. Lilian Cordones (PAN)
7. Julie Weill Dit Morey (FRA)
Also Competed: Toni Pepia (Staten Island, N.Y. / NYAC / Colton Brown Training Center), 1-1; Monica Reyes (Aiea, Hawaii / Hawaii Judo Academy), 0-1.
Men’s 73 kg
1. Vlad Mitru (MDA)
2. Jack Yonezuka (West Long Branch, N.J. / NYAC / Cranford JKC)
3. Giovanni Esposito (ITA)
3. Guilherme De Oliveira (BRA)
5. Hassan Doukkali (MAR)
5. Daniel Cargnin (BRA)
7. Maxime Gobert (FRA)
7. Joshua Green (IRL)
Also Competed: Steven Boldbaatar (Bellevue, Wash. / San Jose State University Judo), 0-1.
Women's 57 kg
1. Pihla Matikainen (FIN)
2. Adriana Rodriguez Salvador (ESP)
3. Marica Perisic (SRB)
3. Jessica Lima (BRA)
5. Veronica Toniolo (ITA)
5. Acelya Toprak (GBR)
7. Mina Libeer (BEL)
7. Malin Wilson Claret (ESP)
Men’s 81 kg
1. David Lima (BRA)
2. Francois Gauthier Drapeau (CAN)
3. Johan Silot (Salem, Mass. / NYAC / Pedro's Judo Center)
3. Petru Pelivan (MDA)
5. Vincenzo Pelligra (ITA)
5. Vasilije Grujicic (SRB)
7. Adrian Gandia (PUR)
7. Jaeyun Sim (KOR)
Also Competed: Dominic Rodriguez (Fort Myers, Fla. / NYAC / Ki-Itsu-Sai National Training Center), 0-1.
Women’s 63 kg
1. Seiko Watanabe (JPN)
2. Laura Vazquez Fernandez (ESP)
3. Anriquelis Barrios (VEN)
3. Laurence Biron (CAN)
5. Ariela Sanchez Benitez (ESP)
5. Rafaela Silva (BRA)
7. Catherine Toshkov (CAN)
7. Yana Makretskaya (BLR)
Also Competed: Emily Jaspe (Hialeah, Fla. / Ki-Itsu-Sai National Training Center), 1-1; Karlee Carrouth (Oklahoma City, Okla. / NYAC / USA Stars), 0-1.
Men’s 90 kg
1. Rafael Macedo (BRA)
2. Mihail Latisev (MDA)
3. Guilherme Schimidt (BRA)
3. Kenny Komi Bedel (ITA)
5. Keagan Young (CAN)
5. Yahor Varapayeu (BLR)
7. Oleksandr Nyzhnyk (Burlingame, Calif. / USA Judo National Resident Team)
7. Aleksa Mitrovic (FRA)
Also Competed: Alexander Knauf (Yorkville, Ill. / NYAC), 0-1.
Women’s 70 kg
1. Dena Pohl (GER)
2. Nauana Silva (BRA)
3. Serafima Moscalu (ROU)
3. Giorgia Stangherlin (ITA)
5. Irene Pedrotti (ITA)
5. Jijeong Kim (KOR)
7. Samira Bock (GER)
7. Celinda Corozo (ECU)
Also Competed: Yasmin Alamin (Woodbridge, Va. / USA Judo National Resident Team), 0-1; Melissa Myers (Burnt Hills, N.Y. / Jason Morris Judo Center), 0-1.
Men’s 100 kg
1. Gennaro Pirelli (ITA)
2. Daniele Accogli (ITA)
3. Leonardo Goncalves (BRA)
3. Yuta Kasai (JPN)
5. Giovani Ferreira (BRA)
5. Fares Mekhoukh (FRA)
7. William Perez (GUA)
7. Ivo Dargoltz (ARG)
Also Competed: Daniel Liubimovski (Staten Island, N.Y. / NYAC / Colton Brown Training Center), 0-1.
Women’s 78 kg
1. Mathilda Sophie Niemeyer (GER)
2. Fanny Estelle Posvite (FRA)
3. Brenda Olaya (COL)
3. Marie Branser (GUI)
5. Karol Gimenes (BRA)
5. Madeleine Malonga (FRA)
7. Emma Krapu (FIN)
7. Julie Hoelterhoff (GER)
Also Competed: Nicole Stout-Berliner (Schenectady, N.Y. / Jason Morris Judo Center), 1-1.
Men’s +100 kg
1. Giannis Antoniou (CYP)
2. Mikita Sviryd (CRO)
3. Denis Batchaev (RUS)
3. Stefan Kovinic (MNE)
5. Francisco Solis (CHI)
5. Vidak Maljevic (SRB)
7. Alex Semenenko (Staten Island, N.Y. / NYAC / Generation Judo Club)
7. Mohammad Lahboub (MAR)
Women’s +78 kg
1. Beatriz Souza (BRA)
2. Asya Tavano (ITA)
3. Thauana Silva (BRA)
3. Raz Hershko (ISR)
5. Karen Leon (VEN)
5. Brigitte Carabali (COL)
7. Fernanda Quimbira (ANG)
7. Amanda Bredeston (ARG)
Also Competed: Gusmary Garcia Savigne (Claymont, Del. / El Idrissi Judo Academy)
