October 1, 2011 – USA Judo’s Nick Delpopolo went five matches, including two overtime rounds, to win gold at the World Cup in Liverpool today, besting top fighters from Spain, Great Britain and Ghana to take the top spot on the podium.
Delpopolo, 73 kg, is fighting for a return trip to England for the Olympics next year in London. With less than a year to go before the opening ceremonies, athletes are competing and training feverishly to prepare for that celebrated event.
“I recently relocated back to the Jason Morris Judo Center in New York, where the team is outfitted in black and silver sweats and also plays heavy metal music during training,” Delpopolo said. “As I was walking out onto the mat in the finals, AC/DC’s ‘Back in Black’ started playing and I had a conscious thought in my head that it was a sign.” To read more from a blog on the tournament by USA Judo teammate Carrie Chandler, click HERE.
“Winning a gold in the Great Britain World Cup is a BIG step for Nick towards qualifying for a slot in the Olympics and the World Masters in January,” commented Jimmy Pedro, two-time Olympic Bronze Medalist and US Olympic Team head coach.
“Climbing higher on the World Ranking List should also help set him up for good results in upcoming events in Azerbaijan and United Arab Emirates as he will be seeded higher at these events,” Pedro said.
Olympic Silver Medalist Jason Morris had this to say of Delpopolo’s victory,
“I’m very excited for Nick as this is a terrific win for him, coming off of a disappointing finish at the World (Championships), Nick’s confidence was low and this is just the thing to get the ball rolling in the right direction again and a solid mental boost for the rest of the season.“
For complete results, go HERE.
Please support our Olympic hopefuls: Learn more at http://www.usjudo.org/
Konan Judo 
Leave a Reply