Venice Judo Club Wins Team Title

The Los Angeles-based Venice Judo Club earned the No. 1 ranking and the overall team title at the U.S. Judo Federation Junior National Championships last week in Monterey.

Venice club members won six gold medals, three silver medals and one bronze. The event was the first of three national competitions that are part of the triple crown of junior judo each year.

Gold-medal winners were Tawny Uemura of Torrance in the girls’ 15-16 age division; Ronda Rousey of Santa Monica in the 13-14 division; Tara Nishiyama of Los Angeles and Anne Yoshimura of Camarillo in the 9-10 division; Alison Uemura, Tawny’s sister, in the 13-14 division; and Trevor Nishiyama, Tara’s brother, in the boys’ 8-year-old division.