The Big Island was well represented at the Grassroots Judo Junior, Youth, Team and Kata National Championship in Honolulu over the weekend.
Competitors from clubs in Kona, Hilo, Puna and Waiakea placed at the event, which was held in conjunction with the United States Judo Federation Senior and Masters National Championship and featured more than 1,100 judoka from each of the 50 states as well as some from Canada, Japan and Singapore.
Justin Raymond, a 19-year-old coach and judoka with Kona Hongwanji, won the International Judo Federation’s Open division in the under 55-kilogram class while Konawaena Elementary School student Hailama Anakalea gave the club a second title in the Intermediate B over 52-kilogram class.
Another Konawaena Elementary student, Sanoe Kihe of Wadokan-Kona, won the super heavyweight division.
Austin Nakamura of Hilo Hongwanji captured the IJF’s junior title in the under 81-kilogram class.
Ronald Takeya and Stephen Hall of Waiakea Judo claimed the Goshin Jutsu title while Melanie Isa and Tori Kaya of Puna Hongwanji won the Katame No Kata division.
Raymond also took third in the black belt under 55-kilogram class, and Dana Sugai, who will be a freshman at Konawaena, gave Kona Hongwanji a third-place finish in the female Juvenile A division under 58 kilograms.
“We had a lot of kids that just didn’t medal, just missed a medal,” said Ray Inouye, national coach for the team and a sensei for the Kona Hongwanji club. “They did really good. They really competed hard. They did better than expected.”
Inouye said he believes this is the club’s best performance in the junior national event, which was held in Honolulu in 2004 and in Hilo in 1994.
Jordan Sumida of Hilo Hongwanji finished second in the IJF junior division under-60 kilograms and also claimed the sportsmanship award.
Skye Matsuura of Hilo Hongwanji finished second IJF open division under-63 kilograms.
“Most of our kids — the juniors — it was their first junior national tournament,” said Brian Tanaka, an assistant instructor with Hilo Hongwanji. “A lot of them had butterflies going into the matches. After their very first match, they understood what kind of competition they were up for.”