Pan Am U13 and U15 Championships Begin on Thursday

(Colorado Springs, Colo.) – Team USA’s youngest athletes will be celebrating the Thanksgiving holiday in Panama City when the Pan American U13 and U15 Championships begin on Thursday.

More than 300 athletes from 11 nations will compete in the two-day tournament.

Thirty-seven U.S. athletes will fight in the U13 Championships on Thursday with 25 athletes competing in the U15 event on Friday.

At the 2021 edition of this event, the Americans dominated the medal tables in both age groups, winning 18 U15 medals and 16 U13 medals, including 12 total golds.

Ten medalists from the 2021 Pan Am U13 and U15 Championships will be returning to battle for gold again, including:

• Waverly Tamanaha (Temple City, Calif. / San Gabriel Judo / U15 48kg), 2021 Pan Am U13 gold medalist at 42kg
• Sebastian Teran (Pompano Beach, Fla. / Ki-Itsu-Sai National Training Center / U13 47kg), 2021 Pan Am U13 gold medalist at 47kg
• Logyn Lynn Puahala (Aiea, Hawaii / Hawaii Kaikaku Judo Club / U13 52kg), 2021 Pan Am U13 gold medalist at 52kg
• Chloe Williams (Stafford, Va. / Wall 2 Wall Martial Arts / U15 +64kg), 2021 Pan Am U15 silver medalist at +64kg
• Chrystal Monthe Noussi (Fort Worth, Texas / Fort Worth Judo / U13 +52kg), 2021 Pan Am U13 silver medalist at 52kg
• Nur Azametli (Sandy, Utah / USA Stars of Salt Lake / U13 42kg), 2021 Pan Am U13 silver medalist at 34kg
• William Gomes (Fort Myers, Fla. / Chief Pride Judo Club / U15 40kg), 2021 Pan Am U15 silver medalist at 36kg
• Jacob Tamai (Elkridge, Md. / College Park Judo / U15 58kg), 2021 Pan Am U15 bronze medalist at 48kg
• Sofia Castillo (Chesapeake, Va. / USA Stars East / U13 38kg), 2021 Pan Am U13 bronze medalist at 34kg
• Samuel Abdelmalak (Punta Gorda, Fla. / Chief Pride Judo / U13 34kg), 2021 Pan Am U13 bronze medalist at 34kg

The complete Team USA delegation is as follows:

Coaches
Daniel Rodriguez (Lehigh Acres, Fla. / Chief Pride Judo)
Nicole Hirata (Gardena, Calif. / Harbor Judo Dojo)
Liane Harada (Gardena, Calif. / Harbor Judo Dojo)
Luis Lima (Coral Springs, Fla. / Ki-Itsu-Sai National Training Center)

Managers

• Scott Goldstein (Chicago, Ill. / Menomonee Judo Club)
• Jody Sanchez (Colorado Springs, Colo.)

Women’s U13 28kg
Lily Infantado (Fort Myers, Fla. / Chief Pride Judo)
Kayla Nice (Lehigh Acres, Fla. / Chief Pride Judo)

Women’s U13 31kg
Rayyan Azametli (Sandy, Utah / USA Stars)

Women’s U13 34kg
Milan Kagaoan (San Lorenzo, Calif. / 510 Judo)
Joylen Perez (Miami Garden / Budokan Judo)

Women’s U13 38kg
Sofia Castillo (Chesapeake, Va. / USA Stars East)
Jaeres Antolin (Waipahu, Hawaii / Hawaii Kaikaku Judo Club)

Women’s U13 42kg
Amaris Bell (Pembroke Pines, Fla. / Budokan Judo)
Evangeline Abbott (Rayne, La. / Louisiana Judo)
Nur Azametli (Sandy, Utah / USA Stars)

Women’s U13 47kg
Lucy Wiener (Lincolnshire, Ill. / Cohen Brothers)
Zoe Vallejo (Baldwin Park, Calif. / Mojica Judo Club)
Logan Teramoto (Pearl City, Hawaii / Hawaii Kaikaku Judo Club)

Women’s U13 52kg
Logyn Lynn Puahala (Aiea, Hawaii / Hawaii Kaikaku Judo Club)

Women’s U13 +52kg
Chrystal Monthe Noussi (Fort Worth, Texas / Fort Worth Judo)
Thalia Zabal (Hayward, Calif. / 510 Judo)
Arianna Ruiz (Coral Springs, Fla. / Ki-Itsu-Sai National Training Center)

Men’s U13 28kg
Elisey Luzgin (Brooklyn, N.Y. / Darfight)

Men’s U13 31kg
Kingston Kagaoan (San Lorenzo, Calif. / 510 Judo)
Taylor Do Carmo (Lehigh Acres, Fla. / Chief Pride Judo)

Men’s U13 34kg
Brayden LeSon (Seal Beach, Calif. / Makoto Kai Judo)
Samuel Abdelmalak (Punta Gorda, Fla. / Chief Pride Judo)
Colden Jefferson (Campbell, Calif. / CJ Judo)
Fabrizzio Teran (Pompano Beach, Fla. / Ki-Itsu-Sai National Training Center)

Men’s U13 38kg
George Tsysin (Northbrook, Ill. / European Judo Academy)
Matthew Iglesias (King George, Va. / Wall 2 Wall Martial Arts)
Leopold Miki Hanada (Bethesda, Md.)

Men’s U13 42kg
Gabriel Laxamana (Bothell, Wash.)
Daniel Lima (Coral Springs, Fla. / Ki-Itsu-Sai National Training Center)

Men’s U13 47kg
Mihail Belyakov (Staten Island, N.Y. / Darfight)
Johan Badillo (Lehigh Acres, Fla. / Chief Pride Judo)
Sebastian Teran (Pompano Beach, Fla. / Ki-Itsu-Sai National Training Center)

Men’s U13 52kg
Khantenger Erdembilegt (Bellevue, Wash. / Washington Judo Academy)
Skylar Arellano-Phipps (Summit, Ill. / Oak Lawn Park District Judo Club)

Men’s U13 +52kg
Artem Voznyuk (Mt. Prospect, Ill. / Chicago Tenri Judo)
Landon Williams (Stafford, Va. / Wall 2 Wall Martial Arts)
Michael Snavely (Avon Lake, Ohio / Chu To Bu)

Women’s U15 40kg
Avery Kadohiro (San Gabriel, Calif. / San Gabriel Judo)

Women’s U15 44kg
Malia Manibog (San Gabriel, Calif. / San Gabriel Judo)
Nina Rodriguez (Port Saint Lucie, Fla. / SunCoast Warriors Judo Team)
Ecola Matsueda (Ewa Beach, Hawaii / Hawaii Kaikaku Judo Club)

Women’s U15 48kg
Waverly Tamanaha (Temple City, Calif. / San Gabriel Judo)
Chloe Obuhanych (Ewa Beach, Hawaii)
Ellianna Abbott (Rayne, La. / Louisiana Judo)

Women’s U15 53kg
Elsa Clark (Potomac, Md. / Sport Judo)
Mackenzie McPherson (Miramar, Fla. / Budokan Judo)
Aubrey Genereux (Port Saint Lucie, Fla. / SunCoast Warriors Judo Team)

Women’s U15 58kg
Meena Phan (Rosemead, Calif. / San Gabriel Judo)
Allison Garcia (Torrance, Calif. / Harbor Judo Dojo)

Women’s U15 64kg
Alessia Quinto (Katy, Texas / Westlake Judo Club)

Women’s U15 +64kg
Chloe Williams (Stafford, Va. / Wall 2 Wall Martial Arts)

Men’s U15 36kg
Eli Oshiro (Pearl City, Hawaii / Hawaii Kaikaku Judo Club)

Men’s U15 40kg
Dmitry Kondratev (Brooklyn, N.Y. / Darfight)
William Gomes (Fort Myers, Fla. / Chief Pride Judo Club)

Men’s U15 44kg
Irving Bicoy III (Ewa Beach, Hawaii / Hawaii Kaikaku Judo Club)
Higen Castillo (Chesapeake, Va. / USA Stars East)
Akmal Jurabaev (Brooklyn, N.Y. / Darfight)

Men’s U15 48kg
Orelvis Beltran Jr. (Pembroke Pines, Fla. / Budokan Judo)
Micah Wegman (Calabasas, Calif. / Hayastan Judo)

Men’s U15 58kg
Jacob Tamai (Elkridge, Md. / College Park Judo)

Men’s U15 64kg
Ryan Dyer (Fort Worth, Texas / Fort Worth Judo)
David Unenbat (Castro Valley, Calif. / Berkeley Genco Judo Club)