Press Release

                The FEDO Judo Dominican International Tournament was held on Saturday, May 10, 2003 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, the host city for the 2003 Pan American Games. Participants from North, South and Central America gathered at the Handball Pavillion for a day of exciting competition.  Representing the East Bay Judo Institute was 2003 Senior National Champion, Sayaka Matsumoto.  Matsumoto�s four victories against various competitors earned her a gold medal, her first gold medal in senior international competition. 
                Matsumoto�s first match was against Marisel Kristobal of Guatemala.  After a minute of tough gripping exchanges, Matsumoto took advantage of Kristobal�s poor attack and went into matwork.  Here, Matsumoto took control by applying juji-gatame (an arm-lock) and forced Kristobal to submit, giving Matsumoto her first win.
                 Her second match was against a tough Dominican girl, Maria Mendez.  Matsumoto came out strong, throwing Mendez for yuko (half point) with uchimata (inner thigh sweep) in the first gripping exchange.  She stayed tough with the grips and forced Mendez to get a stalling penalty for non-combativity.   Matsumoto continued to dominate the match, and in the last 30 seconds was able to secure a pin with sankaku (triangle hold) for ippon (full point).  This advanced her to the semi-finals where she would meet Glenda Miranda from Ecuador.
                 Matsumoto had met Miranda last year at the Pan American Judo Championships, also held in the Dominican Republic.  Previously, she had thrown her for ippon (full point).  This meeting was similar, with Matsumoto controlling Miranda�s gripping in the first exchange.  Miranda attempted an ineffective attack, which Matsumoto countered for yuko (half point) and then promptly followed into a pin for ippon (full point).  This victory placed Matsumoto in the final for the gold.
                 In the final, Matsumoto faced Jenny Martinez of the Dominican Republic.  This match was her toughest, with both players coming out aggressively.  Matsumoto was able to force Martinez to a stalling penalty in the middle of the five-minute match, giving her a slim lead.  At about the 2:30 mark, Matsumoto made an attack after Martinez had gone to the mat, and was given ippon (full point) by the center referee.  Unfortunately, the other referees, who disagreed, waived off this call. Still leading by a minor point, Matsumoto continued to put on the pressure.  In the last minute, Matsumoto was finally able to control Martinez�s grips and threw her with her favorite throw, osotogari, for ippon (full point).  This time, there was no question that Matsumoto�s throw was for full point, and she won the Gold Medal.
                Matsumoto now turns her attention to the Benito Juarez Tournament in Mexico City as well as the Zone 1 Championships, a qualifying event for the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece.  The head instructor of the East Bay Judo Institute is David Matsumoto.  East Bay Judo is a non-profit organization dedicated to the teachings of Kodokan Judo.  They are located at 11165 San Pablo Avenue in El Cerrito.  For more information, please contact us at (510) 237-0607 or visit us on the web at www.ebji.org.

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