Qualifiers Named for 2026 Junior and Cadet World Championships

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by Bill Kellick

David Vinner qualified for his first world championship team by winning the junior men's 66kg division at the 2026 USA Judo Junior Olympics in Spokane, Wash. (Photo by Roy Nanjo)

(Spokane, Wash.) – Twenty-Eight athletes earned direct qualification positions on the 2026 Junior and Cadet World Championship Teams through their gold medal wins at this past weekend’s USA Judo Junior Olympic National Championships in Spokane, Wash.

The athletes who qualified in Spokane 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 World Team Qualifiers (Top row l to r): Judah Harris, Sebastian Teran, Jannaco Searcy, Hector Sanchez, Daniel Lima, Sascha Lievano, Shota Kundukhashvili and Taras Petrovskiy. (Front row I to r): Logyn Lynn Puahala, Mackenzie McPherson, Amaris Bell, Lily Infantado, Chrystal Monthe Noussi, Anna Babenko and Laonna Cramer.

All 15 members of the Cadet World Team qualifiers will have the opportunity to compete at the 2026 Cadet World Championships in Guayaquil, Ecuador, from Aug. 20-23.

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)

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

Men's 90kg
Taras Petrovskiy (Bothell, Wash. / Washington Judo Academy)

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)

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

Women's 57kg
Anna Babenko (Shrewsbury, Mass. / Mayo Quanchi Judo and Wrestling)

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
Laonna Cramer* (Ichikawa, Shiba, Japan / Shoshinkan Martial Arts)

2026 Junior World Team Qualifiers (Front Row l to r): Jonathan Yang, David Vinner, Domenico Ternullo, Daniel Shulgin, Daniel Liubimovski and Saul Usain Gutierrez Reinoso. (Back row l to r): Mackenzie McPherson, Iya Sadanchikova, Rhadi Ferguson, Jr., Emily Jaspe, Laonna Cramer and Chloe Williams. (not pictured, Harlee Hiller)

The junior team qualifiers include two of the cadet qualifiers as well as returning Junior World Team members who will have the opportunity to compete at the 2026 Junior World Championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, from Nov. 19-22:

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

Men’s 66 kg
David Vinner (Chatsworth, Calif. / L.A. Judo Club)

Men’s 73 kg
Domenico Ternullo (Lynn, Mass. / Pedro's Judo Center)

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

Men’s 90 kg
Saul Usain Gutierrez Reinoso (Houston, Texas / HTX Judo)

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


Women’s 48 kg
Iya Sadanchikova (Pahoa, Calif. / San Jose State University Judo)

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

Women’s 57 kg
Harlee Hiller (Evansville, Ill. / Cohen Brothers Judo Club)

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
Laonna Cramer* (Ichikawa, Shiba, Japan / Shoshinkan Martial Arts)

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

*Indicates qualifier for both Junior and Cadet World Teams.