By Nicole Jomantas-USA Judo

Colorado Springs, Colo. – U.S. athletes earned gold medals in five of 10 divisions contested on Saturday at the Rendez-Vous Canada, a USA Judo Senior B-Level Point Tournament in Montreal, Canada.

Photo courtesy of USA Judo
Justin Flores in blue

Kenny Hashimoto (San Jose, Calif. / USA Judo National Training Site at San Jose State University) won his second consecutive Rendez-Vous title in the 66kg division, defeating top-ranked American Taylor Takata (Colorado Springs, Colo. / USA Judo National Training Site at the Olympic Training Center) in the finals.

Hashimoto was down by a yuko (quarter-point), but when Takata went in for a harai goshi (hip throw), Hashimoto countered him with a throw for ippon to win gold.

Earlier in the day, Hashimoto earned a key win for the Americans when he beat again came back from being down by points to throw Sasha Mehmedovic (CAN) for ippon. Mehmedovic, a seventh-place finisher at the World Championships in September, beat Takata in the finals of the U.S. Open last week as well as defeating World Team member Justin Flores (Glenville, N.Y. / USA Judo National Training Site at the Jason Morris Judo Center) in the quarter-finals.

Flores dropped down to the loser’s pool where he beat Nate Torra (El Cerrito, Calif. / NYAC / East Bay Judo Institute) and Olivier LeMasse (CAN) to advance to the bronze medal match against his JMJC teammate 18-year-old Jeremy Liggett (NYAC). Liggett earned his first career win against Flores by a yuko in overtime.

The 81kg division included a rematch of last week’s U.S. Open final when now-top-ranked Travis Stevens (Glenville, N.Y. / USA Judo National Training Site at the Jason Morris Judo Center) and Aaron Cohen (Buffalo Grove, Ill. / NYAC / Cohen’s Judo) fought in the semifinals.

Both athletes were scoreless until Stevens threw Cohen with an uchimata (inner thigh throw) a minute and a half into overtime.

Stevens then advanced to the finals where he went the full five minutes with Harry St. Leger (Brooklyn, N.Y. / NYAC / Starrett Judo) before winning by two kokas (smallest points).