11th INTERNATIONAL "OLYMPIC START" JUDO TOURNAMENT, ST PETERSBURG, RUSSIA

This is the second year that the Moberly Judo Club has participated in this competition. This year two boys from the club, Ramon Alexander and John Jayne, participated. Elvinas Rupinskas, who is a member of the Stratford Judo Club, joined our group for this competition.

RESULT SUMMARY

Boys born in 1995 and 1996

SILVER -32 kg John Jayne

Boys born in 1993 and 1994

SILVER -38 kg Elvinas Rupinskas
7th place -35 kg John Jayne

On Saturday John won the Silver Medal in the -32 kg category in the 1995-1996 age band. Both of the Bronze Medalists came from John's half of the draw. There were fifty two boys in this category. John won the Silver Medal in the 1994-1995 age band last year at -29 kg.

On Sunday Elvinas won the Silver Medal in -38 kg category in the 1993-1994 age band. There were twenty five boys in this category.

John also entered the the 1993-1994 age band on Sunday in the -35 kg. This was a weight class up from the -32 kg that he fought at the day before, since it was the lowest weight class in this age band. There were twenty two boys in this category. John fought the eventual gold medal winner in the first round. John was a score up until seconds before the end of the match he foolishly attempted tomoe nage and got held down. This was probably the toughest fight of the day for the gold medal winner. In the reparcharge John won two matches and then lost to the eventual Bronze medalist by a koka. The result was that John got 7th place.

Ramon fought in the 1993-1994 age band on Sunday in the -42 kg weight class. There were forty boys in this category. Ramon had the misfortune to lost in the first round to a boy who only made it to the quarter finals, and so he was not brought back into the reparcharge.

There were over 900 participants from 11 countries and over 60 regions of Russia from St Petersburg to Vladivostok in the Far East.