Four locals headed to Winnipeg last weekend for the St. Boniface Open Judo Championship. And they all had strong showings, Alex Ricordo Rosalina stood out among the crowd.
Rosalina brought home a gold medal after winning all of his fights in the 81-kg (black belt) division, defeating his first opponent with a shoulder throw and his second one with an arm back.
He won his third match with a lifted hip throw.
“He did his stuff perfect,” Bob Dobransky enthused during practice Monday night. “He stood out–he is nice to watch.
“He did really good technique. He had no trouble there at all.”
Meanwhile, Paul Dobransky–competing in the 43-kg juvenile men’s division–won three of his first four fights to reach the gold-medal match, which he lost to end up with silver.
“[He] did fairly well,” his dad, Bob, remarked. “We like to get as many fights as we can while we are there.”
Troy Kadikoff took the bronze medal in the senior men’s 90-kg division after losing both his fights.
“His first fight lasted well into the third or fourth minute before he was ipponed [his opponent received an automatic win],” noted Dobransky. “In his second fight, he was ipponed quite quickly.”
But Dobransky also noted Kadikoff–a white belt–had to go up against brown belts, adding he did quite well for not knowing what to expect at the meet.
And Tony Evans–competing in the 80-kg senior men’s category–won one fight but lost two to finish in fourth place.
“Overall, it was a good weekend,” said Dobransky. “We took four competitors down with us and three came back with medals.”
The Manitoba Open will be held in Winnipeg this weekend but Dobransky admitted he’s unsure whether anyone from here will be competing there.
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
