Stephanie takes gold in Sweden!

Stephanie Hata of El Cerrito a student of the East Bay Judo Institute in El Cerrito, came away with a gold medal at the 2001 Goteburg International Jr. Judo Tournament in Goteburg, Sweden.
Hata, 16, defeated Alexandra Causey (also of the U.S.) in her first match by a penalty given to Causey for stalling. Hata controlled the entire fight with solid tai otoshi and ouchi gari attacks. Hata then beat Vassilieva of Russia, soring a koka with tai otoshi and a yuko with kouchi makikomi to win the round robin, and giving her the gold medal.
This year, Hata has won a silver medal at the 2001 US High School National Championships, and a Gold Medal at the 2001 US Senior National Championships. She is also a Gold Medallist from the 2000 US Open Judo Championships, the highest level senior international tournament conducted in the U.S.
Hata’s attention now turns to the 2001 U.S. Judo Federation Jr. and Youth National Championships, scheduled to occur in two weeks in Monterey, California. After that, she will compete at the 2001 U.S. Jr. Olympics in Louisville, KY.
The East Bay Judo Institute is a non-profit organization dedicated to the teaching of Kodokan Judo. Classes are held Mondays through Saturdays, and are taught by Dr. David Matsumoto. For more information on class schedules, contact the EBJI at 510-237-0607 or visit their website at www.ebji.org.