Prior to the action getting underway in Florida, USA Judo President Lance Nading welcomed athletes officials and fans to the Broward County Convention Center for the five days of competition.

"I would like to welcome you all to America," he said. 

"We have 72 nations taking part in this Judo World Championships which is the single most prestigious event in this country since the 1967 World Championships in Salt Lake City, Utah.

"I want to thank from the bottom of my heart, the athletes who trained here so diligently and will go to the t next Olympics in 2016 and 2022 and many of you will capture medals.

"We, the US public, are very grateful to have you here.

"Thank you to referees and officials, our sponsors, mostly thank you to the IJF for the guidance and the opportunity to have this event here.

"These World Championships can change the future of USA Judo - it is a meaningful event in the eyes of US judo.

"I want to personally thank our [IJF] President Marius Vizer for his guidance and support."

When the athletes took to the tatami, it did not take long for Kondo to showcase her skills as she was a class apart in the women's under 48kg category.

The 19-year-old overcame Turkey's junior European champion Dilara Lokmanhekim after initiating an attack with a sumi-gaeshi movement before extending her other leg to lift her Turkish opponent into the air for ippon after 82 seconds.

Having claimed the cadet world title in 2011 and the senior crown in Chelyabinsk, Russia, back in August, Kondo has now completed her set with the junior title.

A smile of satisfaction beams across Ami Kondo's face (second from left) as she confirmed her status as the world's leading female judoka in the under 48kg category ©IJF



A wazi-ari in golden score saw Romania's Alexandra Pop secure bronze against Cristina Budescu of Moldova, while 17-year-old German Patrycia Szekely took the other bronze with a win over Milica Nikolic of Serbia.

Junior Asian Championships winner Hitomi Sakaguchi got Japan off the mark earlier in the day by claiming the women's under 44kg gold medal.

The 20-year-old defeated Pan American Championships winner Larissa Farias of Brazil with a kuzure-yoko-shiho-gatae for ippon to bag her first world title.

Bronze medals went to junior African champion Olfa Saoudi of Tunisia and 16-year-old Turk Melisa Cakmakli, who overcame Catarina Costa of Portugal and Mongolian Narantsetseg Ganbaatar respectively.

Wataru Umekita completed a hat-trick of gold medal wins for Japan in the first men's final of the day after defeating Frenchman Kamal Fikri with a huge ippon in the under 55kg category.

Mongolians Amartuvshin Bayaraa and Battulga Ganbaatar occupied the third step of the podium after they proved too good for their respective opponents, Vahagn Hovsepyan of Armenia and Uzbekistan's Kemran Nurillayev.

Wataru Umekita (blue) completed a hat-trick of wins for Japan on the opening day of action in Fort Lauderdale ©IJF



In the final gold medal match of the day, the under 60kg, it was Spaniard Francisco Garrigos who topped the podium ,forcing his Mongolian opponent, Tsogtbaatar Tsendochir to tap out with a shime-waza after 90 seconds of the contest.

South Korea's Choi In Hyuk secured the first bronze medal on offer with victory over Azerbaijan's Davud Mammadov, whose compatriot Mehman Sadigov denied Japan another podium place by seeing off the challenge of Kohei Hayashi.

Tomorrow, medals will be handed out in the women's under 52kg and 57kg categories and the under 66kg and under 73kg divisions in the men's competition.

Watch the latest action on Judo TV here.

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]


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