Jaspe and Rodriguez Shine with Silver at Prague Junior European Cup

(Colorado Springs, CO) – Emily Jaspe (Hialeah, Fla./Ki-Itsu-Sai National Training Center) and Dominic Rodriguez (Lehigh Acres, Fla. /Ki-Itsu-Sai National Training Center/New York Athletic Club) both captured silver medals at the Prague Junior European Cup in the Czech Republic over the weekend.

Jaspe reached Saturday’s semifinals in the women’s 63 kg division with victories over Great Britain’s Katie Mills and Brazil’s Ana Beatriz Feitosa. Jaspe’s semifinal match against Maud Lavrijssen of the Netherlands went nearly 90 seconds into Golden Score (sudden-death overtime) before Jaspe threw Lavrijssen for ippon to take the win.

The gold medal final against #3-ranked Sara Corbo of Italy also went into Golden Point before Corbo threw Jaspe for a waza-ari (half-point) score 57 seconds into extra time.

Rodriguez needed three victories to reach Sunday’s semifinals of the men’s 81 kg division. After defeating Georgia’s Tornike Vakhtangadze in Golden Score, Rodriguez threw Italy’s Gianmarco Lepre for ippon just 42 seconds in. He then reached the semis with a win over Bulgaria’s Hristo Valkov.

Another win by ippon over Joshua De Lange of the Netherlands put Rodriguez into the gold medal final against #1-ranked Igor Tsurkan of Ukraine. Tsurkan scored his second waza-ari 2:56 into the match to claim the gold.

Daniel Liubimovski (Staten Island, N.Y. / Colton Brown Training Center) also reached the medal round of the men’s 100 kg before losing by ippon to Korea’s Semin Park in a bronze medal match. Lenny Sheynfeld (Staten Island, N.Y. / Pedro’s Judo Center) finished in the top 7 of the men’s 66 kg division with a 7th-place showing.

2024 Prague Junior European Cup Results

Top seven and U.S. results are as follows:

Women’s 48 kg

1. Summer Shaw (GBR)

2. Rebecca Valeriani (ITA)

3. Zilan Ertem (TUR)

3. Begumnaz Dogruyol (TUR)

5. Helen Habib (GER)

5. Sofia Rangelova (BUL)

7. Asal Ghaffar (GER0

7. Zeynep Betul Sarikaya (TUR)

Women’s 52 kg

1. Gaia Stella (ITA)

2. Rafaela Rodrigues (BRA)

3. Ilaria Finestrone (ITA)

3. Vera Wandel (NED)

5. Renske Wekking (NED)

5. Micaela Sciacovelli (ITA)

7. Janine Hardenberg (Ger)

7. Emma Van Leeuwen (NED)

Women’s 57 kg

1. Biana Reis (BRA)

2. Beatriz Comanche (BRA)

3. Giulia Carna (ITA)

3. Michela Terranova (ITA)

5. Nino Loladze (GEO)

5. Faye Hensen (NED)

7. Gaia Massimetti (ITA)

7. Raquel Bras (POR)

Women’s 63 kg

1. Sara Corbo (ITA)

2. Emily Jaspe (Hialeah, Fla./Ki-Itsu-Sai National Training Center)

3. Joni Geilen (NED)

3. Jimin Yang (KOR)

5. Sara-Joy Bauer (GER)

5. Maud Lavrijssen (NED)

7. Ana Beatriz Feitosa (BRA)

7. Elene Renes (NED)

Women’s 70 kg

1. Sumeyye Kaya (TUR)

2. Tayla Grauer (GER)

3. Kaillany Cardoso (BRA)

3. Alisa Videneieva (UKR)

5. Ema Fizelova (SVK)

5. Tanja Gruenewald (GER)

7. Nadia Swinkels (NED)

7. Joaquina Nieto (ARG)

Women’s 78 kg

1. Gulsum Agac (TUR)

2. Fabia Conceicao (POR)

3. Linde Hanstede (NED)

3. Irene Hesling (NED)

5. Cinzia Caponetto (ITA)

5. Stepanka Hojdarova (CZE)

7. Zyna Schreiber (GER)

7. Nicole Wood (GBR)

Women’s +78 kg

1. Julia Dekker (NED)

2. Evellyn Vitoria Das Chagas Pereira (BRA)

3. Yagmur Yilmaz (TUR)

3. Enya Pires (BRA)

5. Nino Papidze (GEO)

5. Minyoung Kim (KOR)

7. Marianna Karas (CAN)

7. Olivia Oliveira (BRA)

Men’s 60 kg

1. David Kupper (GER)

2. Erick Matsumoto Kaneda (BRA)

3. Ido Mehditache (ISR)

3. Maayan Navon (ISR)

5. Luka Gadelia (GEO)

5. Tal Shenkman (ISR)

7. Roy Rubinstein (ISR)

7. Charlie Ayre (GBR)

Also Competed: Chris Velazco (Coral Springs, Fla. / New York Athletic Club / Ki-itsu-sai National Training Center), 1-1; Jonathan Yang (Los Angeles, Calif. / L.A. Judo Club), 1-1

Men’s 66 kg

1. Ronald Lima (BRA)

2. Jochem Van Harten (NED)

3. Tornike Mosiashvili (GEO)

3. Artem Sorochan (UKR)

5. Gal Kloda (ISR)

5. Lino Andrea Dello Russo (GER)

7. Lenny Sheynfeld (Staten Island, N.Y. / Pedro’s Judo Center)

7. Tengiz Khidasheli (GEO)

Also Competed: Jacob Yang (Los Angeles, Calif. / L.A. Judo Club), 1-1

Men’s 73 kg

1. Mate Beruashvili (GEO)

2. Manuel Parlati (ITA)

3. Guilherme De Oliveira (BRA)

3. Benjamin Levy (GBR)

5. Irakli Goginashvili (GBR)

5. Jone Visser (NED)

7. Ohad Moritz (ISR)

7. Federico Bosis (ITA)

Also Competed: Anthony Farnot (Ki-itsu-sai National Training Center), 2-1; Domenico Ternullo (Saugus, Mass. / Pedro's Judo Center), 1-1; Steve Boldbaatar (Bellevue, Wash. / Washington Judo Academy), 0-1; Bilegt Erdenetsogt (Albany, Calif.), 0-1

Men’s 81 kg

1. Igor Tsurkan (UKR)

2. Dominic Rodriguez (Lehigh Acres, Fla. / Ki-Itsu-Sai National Training Center / New York Athletic Club)

3. Vakhtang Pavliashvili (GEO)

3. Luan Almeida (BRA)

5. Joshua De Lange (NED)

5. Tornike Vakhtangadze (GEO)

7. Vazha Avazneli (GEO)

7. Davide Esposito (ITA)

Men’s 90 kg

1. Cristiano Mincinesi (ITA)

2. Tamaz Koberidze (GEO)

3. Henry Owusu Asare Owusu (ITA)

3. Aslan Kotsoev (AZE)

5. Davud Namazli (AZE)

5. Jesse Barbosa (BRA)

7. Yehor Paladii (CAN)

7. Giel Dol (NED)

Men’s 100 kg

1. Frantisek Lhotzky (CZE)

2. Ilias Kuester (GER)

3. Luka Ekvtimishvili (GEO)

3. Semin Park (KOR)

5. Ismayil Zamanov (AZE)

5. Daniel Liubimovski (Staten Island, N.Y. / Colton Brown Training Center)

7. Nikoloz Zaalishvili (GEO)

7. Andre Kramer (BRA)

Men’s +100 kg

1. Tamaz Biganishvili (GEO)

2. Mortaza Suha (GER)

3. Tomas Raska (CZE)

3. Saba Kardava (GEO)

5. Davit Tchikadze (GEO)

5. Nikita Nikitenko (GER)

7. Recep Ergin (TUR)

7. Martin Sedlak (CZE)

Also Competed: Alex Semenenko (Staten Island, N.Y. / New York Athletic Club), 1-2

Team USA now looks ahead to the Paks Junior European Cup to be held July 13-14 in Hungary.