Montreal, March 18, 2018 – Just like Camélia Pitsilis on Saturday, Joe Casey Andres won the silver medal on Sunday at the Junior European Cup in Coimbra, in Portugal.

Joe Casey Andres on the podium

The Albertan lost by ippon in the final in the over 100 kg category, against Russian Dzhamal Gamzakhanov.

“It’s not the result that I wanted, and I didn’t move the way I wanted on the mat. I need more experience against European judokas, and that’s what I’ll work on this week,” said the judoka of Japanese origins.

Andres’s opponent was a lot taller and bigger than him. “He’s 140 kg. We had a strategy, but the other guy was very heavy, and when Joe Casey moved and made a small mistake, he was thrown by waza-ari and was held to the ground.”

His day started with two victories in the preliminary round. He won against Finnish Erkka Kari, and Netherlander Rick Zomer. He was able to defeat Zomer by ippon, after a bout that lasted over 6 minutes.

The Canadian athlete still had some energy left for the semi-final, where he won by ippon against Russian Artur Kamalov to access the final.

“I watched him during his other fights, and I had a plan. I did what I had planned, and it worked well,” said Joe Casey Andres.

“It’s his first medal, and he won against strong opponents,” added Jean-Pierre Cantin. “We’ll keep on working hard and finding strategies to beat the heavier athletes now.”

Benjamin Kendrick (-90 kg) finished in 7^th place with three victories and two losses. After winning his first two fights, he lost by ippon in the third round against Italian Andrea Fusco, who went on to win the gold medal.

“Ben was leading against the Italian, but he made a small mistake and his opponent took advantage of it. I think he could have won a medal,” said Cantin.

Kendrick then lost his second fight in repechage against Serb Darko Brasnjovic. “That loss is questionable. I think he should have been fighting for the bronze medal.”

Annabelle Darlow (-78 kg) and Shianne Gronen (-70 kg) also finished in 7^th place. Darlow had two victories and two losses, and her day ended in the second round in repechage, against British Shelley Ludford. Gronen had three victories and two losses. She was eliminated in repechage by Israeli Maya Goshen.

Alexandre Arencibia (-81 kg) and Ian Ryder (-90 kg) both finished in 9^th position. Arencibia was eliminated in the third round after winning his first two bouts. He lost again in repechage, against French Paul Livolsi. Ryder lost his first fight, but bounced back quickly and won in repechage against Italian Lorenzo Ferretti. He then lost by ippon, still in repechage, against Russian Rasim Dasaez.

“Alexandre is a cadet, and right now, he’s ranked first in the world for the selection for the Youth Olympic Games. Being in a Junior European Cup is a great experience, and it’s very good for him. He’s learning a lot.”

Anne Martin (-63 kg), Hanako Kuno (-63 kg), Alicia Fiandor (-70 kg), Allayah Copeland (-78 kg), Ethan Vandersanden (-81 kg), Luka Khatelishvili (-81 kg), and Yohan Chouinard (-100 kg) lost their first bout of the day and didn’t get a ranking.

“Overall, they performed pretty well. There are a few things to work on, but I’m confident for what’s coming,” concluded Jean-Pierre Cantin.

Alex Marineau Disappointed

After winning a gold medal in Santiago (Chile) last weekend, Alex Marineau was hoping for another podium at the Senior Panamerican Open on Sunday in Lima, in Peru. The judoka, fighting in the -81 kg, had to settle for the 5^th place.

“I’m really disappointed,” said the 20-year-old.

During his fight for the bronze medal, the Montrealer was defeated by Brazilian Edu Lowgan Ramos. “I felt like I had lost my momentum. I didn’t react like I should have when he attacked, and I fell,” he explained.

He was off to a good start after eliminating Brazilian Tiago Pinho in the second round. “He’s an athlete who had already defeated me, and he won several junior tournaments last year. I was happy to finally beat him.”

Things turned around in the semi-final. Armann Khalatian, from France, scored an ippon, keeping him from getting in the final. “The fight started out well, but I lost my focus for a second, and he threw me.”

Also fighting in the -81 kg category, Danil Neyolov took the 7^th place. He was defeated in his second fight and went into repechage, where he lost his first bout.

In the -90 kg category, Maxim Côté was eliminated after one fight.

The cadet athletes will be fighting against next week, in Bosnia and Herzegovina, for the Cadet European Cup in Sarajevo. The senior athletes will be in action in Buenos Aires for the Panamerican Open.

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Written by Sportcom for Judo Canada
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