Recap of the Grand Prix in Havana, Cuba. I didn't attend, but a few of my teammates did. The press release is below. You can also visit the Jason Morris Judo Center Facebook Page for more information.
Havana, Cuba - Brad Bolen (25) & Hannah Martin (25) from the Jason Morris Judo Center (JMJC) in Glenville, NY both placed seventh in their respective divisions at the International Judo Federation's (IJF) Grand Prix event in Havana, Cuba, June 7, 2014. They both earned 48 points for their effort on the IJF's world ranking list which 24 will directly count toward the Olympic qualification for Rio, Bolen in 66kg and Martin in 63kg. "This is a good start for both athletes in the qualification process for the Brazil Olympics" their coach and 4x Olympian, Jason Morris said. Burnt Hills High School graduate, Martin's injured knee held up well against the very top competition in 63kg. Martin's Losses were to #2 and eventual champion, Clarisse Agbegnenou (France) and #10 Maricet Espinoza (Cuba) who wound up with a bronze medal defeating world champ, Yarden Gerbi (Israel) . JMJC's Nick Kossor (28) lost his opening match yesterday in 60kg to Juan Perez (Chile) and was eliminated. "They gained a ton of valuable experience and confidence from this event. I am very pleased with their progress." Morris continued. The trio will fly back to Miami for three days to train then head to El Salvador for the IJF's world cup in San Salvador.