Jonathan Yang captures sensational youth world title for team USA

Day two of the Cadet World Championships in Lima was a thrilling showcase of judo, with non-stop action and a focus on winning by ippon, making the competition exhilarating to watch. The cadet level is known for its pure desire to win without resorting to overly tactical strategies, and this day was no exception.

The afternoon session kicked off with Germany’s Charlotte Nettesheim facing Brazil’s Nycolly Carneiro for a bronze medal in the -48 kg category. Carneiro, encouraged by her coach Maria Portela, came out strong, throwing for waza-ari with a seoi-otoshi in the first 40 seconds. She followed up with a near-miss o-uchi-gari, and later secured the bronze with another throw in the final moments.

In the second bronze medal match, Maria Camila Bermudez of Colombia faced Poland’s Barbara Twarowska. After a prolonged ne-waza exchange, Twarowska managed to hold Bermudez for the 20 seconds needed to secure the medal.

The final in the -48 kg category saw Mongolia’s Jamsran facing Brazil’s Clarice Ribeiro, ranked 14th and 3rd in the world, respectively. Ribeiro won the match with a lightning-fast o-uchi-gari, becoming the new cadet world champion.

In the -60 kg category, Arkhipov (IJF) quickly dispatched Hungary’s Galo for a bronze, throwing him for ippon within 40 seconds. The second bronze medal match between Merabli Samadashvili (GEO) and Jakub Kurowski (POL) was a tense, acrobatic battle, eventually won by Kurowski with a counter-attack.

The final match in the -60 kg division featured Yang (USA) against Yamamoto (JPN). Despite Yang being ranked much higher, Yamamoto put up a fierce fight. However, Yang’s seoi-otoshi earned him the victory, making him the new cadet world champion in an outstanding contest that might be the best of the tournament.

In the -52 kg category, Janka Juttner (HUN) faced Elise Rustige (NED) for bronze, with Rustige securing the win with a well-timed seoi-otoshi in the final 30 seconds. The second bronze went to Nicole Marques (BRA) after a tense golden score battle against Kozolva (IJF), decided by penalties in Marques’ favor.

In the final, Rodrigues (BRA) battled Oi (JPN) for the world title. Despite Rodrigues’ aggressive start, Oi found her rhythm and threw Rodrigues with uchi-mata in golden score to claim the gold, leaving Rodrigues with silver.

The -66 kg category started with Inoyat Telmanov (UZB) defeating Baptiste De Araujo (FRA) for bronze, using a seoi-otoshi to secure Uzbekistan’s first medal of the tournament. The second bronze was won by Boris Jankovic (SRB), who threw Vasili Gamezardashvili (GEO) with sumi-gaeshi in the final seconds.

In the final, Parchiev (IJF) and Givishvili (GEO) met again, having faced off in the European Cadet Championships. This time, Givishvili came out on top, earning the title of world cadet champion with a series of strong attacks.

The day concluded with Yang (USA), Ribeiro (BRA), Givishvili (GEO), and Oi (JPN) crowned as world champions. Brazil had an exceptional day, claiming four medals across the categories, positioning themselves at the top of the medal table and signaling their intent for the upcoming mixed team competition on day four.