Two-time Olympic Medalist Israel Hernandez to Coach USA Judo National Resident Team
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by Bill Kellick
(Colorado Springs, CO) – USA Judo is pleased to announce that Israel Hernandez (Keswick, Va.) has been hired as head coach of the USA Judo National Resident Team Program at the US Performance Center in Charlotte, N.C. Hernandez succeeds Robert Eriksson who stepped down from the position in December.
A native of Cuba, Hernandez won bronze medals for his home country at both the 1992 and 1996 Olympic Games in the -65 kg category. A renowned judo technician, Hernandez also owns five Pan American Championship medals, including four gold, and three Pan American Games medals which includes a gold in 1995.
“Judo has ceased to be a merely technical sport, becoming a technical-tactical one,” Hernandez said. “The excellence we achieve through our work together will produce greater success for judo in the United States. I am grateful for the trust and opportunity offered by USA Judo in choosing me as head coach of the judo center in North Carolina. Each athlete and coach who participates in this program will receive a welcome and the knowledge I possess and love to share with every judoka in our country. Everybody likes to be a coach, no one wants to be a teacher. I am going to teach this new generation of judokas to be teachable, and then everybody can coach them”
USA Judo partnered with the US Performance Center in 2023 to launch a national resident team, allowing athletes to participate in high-level judo training with the ability for student-athletes to utilize in-state tuition and scholarships at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Participants in the USA Judo National Resident Program have access to the latest state-of-the-art technology, including sports medicine, sports psychology, nutrition, strength and conditioning and rehabilitation support.
The USPC also houses resident teams and programs for USA Archery, USA Artistic Swimming, USA Badminton, USA Bobsled & Skeleton, the American Canoe Association, USA Field Hockey, USA Football, USA Rugby, USA Skateboarding, USA Table Tennis, USA Taekwondo, USA Triathlon, US Youth Soccer, the National Wheelchair Basketball Association, National Collegiate Boxing Association, USA Ultimate and USA Pentathlon Multisport. Learn More.
“We are thrilled to welcome Israel back to the USA Judo coaching team,” said USA Judo CEO Corinne Shigemoto. “His personal success on the mat, combined with his deep technical expertise will be instrumental in elevating our athletes to the next level.”
Hernandez will begin his tenure with USA Judo and the National Resident Team on April 7. For more information on the USA Judo National Resident Program Click Here.
