A COMBINED team from the Rising Sun and Phoenix Jiu-Jitsu and Judo clubs won eight medals, including two gold, against Surinamese clubs when the Kaizen Judo Club held its Invitational Judo Championships on Saturday afternoon at the André Kamperveen Stadium in Paramaribo.

The club competition, which was sanctioned by the Suriname Judo Federation, became an unofficial Guyana vs. Suriname battle and the visitors did not hold back.  After claiming their medals, the Guyanese won a team competition after a dominant display by the clubs’ best judokas from each weight divisions.

Ten judokas and several officials travelled for the event and, according to head coach Bruce Fraser, they were fantastic.

“We went overland to Suriname to compete in an international club tournament where some of the best judokas from Suriname competed, including some with international experience; in some cases, my guys were even outranked by their competitors. We put on a fantastic display of judo that took our neighbours by surprise…as we almost dominated every weight category we competed in, to end the day with it being one of our best performances in Suriname to date.”

At the meet, Tiffon McRae and Rondie Phillips won gold medals. McRae claimed victory in the -73kg weight category, while Phillips won in the -90kg division and won a bronze in the open category.

Stephan Barry, who served as national captain on two separate occasions, claimed a silver medal in the male division of the Open category, while Fiona Fraser-Cordis won bronze in the women’s open division.

Paul Delima also claimed a silver when he competed in the -100kg division, while the other bronze medal winners were Corwin D’Anjou (-73 kg) and Wester McRae Jr. who finished third in the -81kg category.

Along with Fraser, Charles Ambrose travelled as assistant coach, while Lisa Fraser went as an official rep for both clubs.

Fraser said that the trip would not have been possible without the support of Tracmax, Ricks and Sari, National Hardware Limited and a number of individuals who contributed in different ways.