USA Judo Announces 2026 Cadet World Team

(Colorado Springs, CO) – USA Judo has named 20 athletes, ages 14-17, who will compete at the 2026 IJF Cadet World Championships in Guayaquil, Ecuador, August 20-23. The U.S. team returns nine athletes from the 2025 Cadet World Championship Team and five top-10 athletes in their divisions – Sebastian Teran (Pompano Beach, Fla. / Ki-itsu-sai National Training Center) ranked #1 in the men's 55 kg division, Jannaco Searcy (Atlanta, Ga. / Black ICE Fitness) ranked #3 in the men's 50 kg division, Nicholas Zadvinskiy (Staten Island, N.Y. / Cranford JKC) ranked #4 in the men's 90 kg division, Rhadi Ferguson, Jr. (Tampa, Fla. / High Noon Judo) ranked #5 in the women's +70 kg division, and Daniel Lima (Coral Springs, Fla. / Ki-Itsu-Sai National Training Center) ranked #8 in the men's 66 kg division.

 2026 Cadet World Championships Live Stream and Results

A look at the U.S. roster for the 2026 Cadet World Championships:

Women’s 44 kg
Fourteen-year-old Lily Infantado (Lehigh Acres, Fla. / Chief Pride Judo Club) is the youngest member of the team and will make her Cadet Worlds debut in Guayaquil. She won a bronze medal earlier this year in Guayaquil at the Cadet Pan American Championships.

Men’s 50 kg
Jannaco Searcy (Atlanta, Ga. / Black ICE Fitness) is ranked #3 in the world and will celebrate his 17th birthday in Guayaquil. A silver medalist at this year's Cadet Pan Ams in Guayaquil, Searcy will be competing in his first world championship.

Women’s 48 kg
Sixteen-year-old Amaris Bell (Pembroke Pines, Fla. / Ki-itsu-sai National Training Center) returns from last year's Cadet World Team. She 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. Bell took silver at the 2026 Cadet Pan American Cup in Panama. Alexandra Erb (Adams, Tenn. / Tri-Star Judo Team), 15, will compete in her first world championship event in Guayaquil.

Men’s 55 kg
World #1 Sebastian Teran (Pompano Beach, Fla. / Ki-itsu-sai National Training Center) is coming off a gold-medal performance in Guayaquil in April at the Cadet Pan American Championships. He is one of the nine returning members from the 2025 Cadet World Team. 

Women’s 52 kg
The U.S. team will enter two fighters in the women’s 52kg division: 16-year-old Mackenzie McPherson (Miramar, Fla. / Budokan Judo Club in South Florida) and 17-year-old Madison Nguyen (Sunland, Calif. / Los Angeles Tenri Judo Dojo). McPherson gained valuable international experience as a member of both the Cadet and Junior World Teams last year. This year, she has captured gold at the Youth Nationals and in both the cadet and junior divisions at the Junior Olympics. McPherson added a bronze medal at the Senior Nationals in May. Nguyen will be competing in her first Cadet Worlds. She was a member of both the Cadet and Junior Pan American Teams this year.

Men’s 60 kg
Fifteen-year-old Hector Sanchez (Miami, Fla. / Ki-itsu-sai National Training Center) will be making his Cadet Worlds debut in Guayaquil. He won a bronze medal at the 2024 U15 Pan American Championships and is coming off wins at both the 2026 Youth National Championships and the 2026 Junior Olympic Championships. Sanchez also won a bronze medal at May's Senior National Championships.

Women’s 57 kg
17-year-old Aubrey Genereux (Port St. Lucie, Fla. / Ki-Itsu-Sai National Training Center) will be competing in her third Cadet Worlds. She is a two-time bronze medalist at the Cadet Pan American Championships, most recently in Guayaquil earlier this year.. She will be joined by Anna Babenko (Shrewsbury, Mass. / Mayo Quanchi Judo and Wrestling), 15, who will be making her international competition debut.

Men's 66 kg
Fifteen-year-old Daniel Lima (Coral Springs, Fla. / Ki-itsu-sai National Training Center) is ranked #8 in the world and will make his Cadet Worlds debut in Guayaquil. He returns to Ecuador after winning a silver medal at the Cadet Pan American Championships in Guayaquil in April.

Women’s 63 kg
Logyn Lynn Puahala (Aiea, Hawaii / Hawaii Kaikaku Judo Club), 16, enters her second Cadet World Championship event after winning this year's Junior Olympic Championships in Spokane.

Men’s 73 kg
Seventeen-year-old Sascha Lievano (Berkeley, Calif. / Griffin Performance Judo) will be competing in his first Cadet World Championship alongside 16-year-old and fellow first-timer Mihail Belyakov (Staten Island, N.Y. / Colton Brown Training Center). 

Women’s 70 kg
Fifteen-year-old Chrystal Monthe Noussi (Fort Worth, Texas / Fort Worth Judo Club) is one of the nine returning members from the 2025 Cadet World Team. She is coming off a silver-medal performance in Guayaquil at the Cadet Pan American Championships in April.

Men’s 81 kg
Another judoka making their Cadet Worlds debut will be 16-year-old Shota Kundukhashvili (Brooklyn, N.Y. / Caucasus Judo). Kundukhashvili won a bronze medal at this year's Cadet Pan American Championships.

Men’s 90 kg
Sixteen-year-old Nicholas Zadvinskiy (Staten Island, N.Y. / Cranford JKC) will be competing in his second Cadet Worlds in Guayaquil. He is currently ranked #4 in the world and is coming off a silver-medal performance at the Cadet Pan American Championships and a bronze-medal performance at the Junior Pan American Championships. Zadvinskiy will be joined in the 90 kg competition by fellow 16-year-old Taras Petrovskiy (Bothell, Wash. / Washington Judo Academy), a bronze medalist at this year's Cadet Pan American Championships.

Women’s +70 kg
Rhadi Ferguson, Jr. (Tampa, Fla. / High Noon Judo), 16, returns for her second Cadet Worlds appearance. The top-ranked female on the U.S. team, Ferguson, ranked #5 in the world, also gained valuable experience as a member of the 2025 Junior World Team. This year, she won silver at the Cadet Pan American Championships and bronze at the Junior Pan American Championships.

Men’s +90 kg
Judah Harris (Kenly, N.C. / El Toro Judo Club) also returns from the 2025 Cadet World Team. This year, Harris won a gold medal at the Cadet Pan American Championships in Guayaquil in April. 

The complete delegation roster is as follows:

Men's 50kg
Jannaco Searcy (Atlanta, Ga. / Black ICE Fitness)

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

Men's 60kg
Hector Sanchez (Miami, Fla. / Ki-itsu-sai National Training Center)

Men's 66kg
Daniel Lima (Coral Springs, Fla. / Ki-itsu-sai National Training Center)

Men's 73kg
Sascha Lievano (Berkeley, Calif. / Griffin Performance Judo)
Mihail Belyakov (Staten Island, N.Y. / Colton Brown Training Center)

Men's 81kg
Shota Kundukhashvili (Brooklyn, N.Y. / Caucasus Judo)

Men's 90kg
Taras Petrovskiy (Bothell, Wash. / Washington Judo Academy)
Nicholas Zadvinskiy (Staten Island, N.Y. / Cranford JKC)

Men's +90kg
Judah Harris (Kenly, N.C. / El Toro Judo Club)

Women's 44kg
Lily Infantado (Lehigh Acres, Fla. / Chief Pride Judo Club)

Women's 48kg
Amaris Bell (Pembroke Pines, Fla. / Ki-itsu-sai National Training Center)
Alexandra Erb (Adams, Tenn. / Tri-Star Judo Team)

Women's 52kg
Mackenzie McPherson (Miramar, Fla. / Budokan Judo Club in South Florida)
Madison Nguyen (Sunland, Calif. / Los Angeles Tenri Judo Dojo)

Women's 57kg
Anna Babenko (Shrewsbury, Mass. / Mayo Quanchi Judo and Wrestling)
Aubrey Genereux (Port St. Lucie, Fla. / Ki-Itsu-Sai National Training Center)

Women's 63kg
Logyn Lynn Puahala (Aiea, Hawaii / Hawaii Kaikaku Judo Club)

Women's 70kg
Chrystal Monthe Noussi (Fort Worth, Texas / Fort Worth Judo Club)

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

The sport’s up-and-coming stars will battle throughout three days of individual competition beginning on Thursday, August 20.

The competition schedule is as follows:

Thursday, Aug. 20
Women’s 40 kg, 44 kg, 48 kg
Men’s 50 kg, 55 kg, 60 kg

Friday, Aug. 21
Women’s 52 kg, 57 kg, 63 kg
Men’s 66 kg, 73 kg

Saturday, Aug. 22
Women’s 70 kg, +70 kg
Men’s 81 kg, 90 kg, +90 kg

Sunday, Aug. 23
Mixed Teams competition