High Noon Judo and No Gi World Brazilian Jiujitsu Champ Tim Spriggs Triumphant in Dallas with Dr. Christopher Round

High Noon Judo continues to impress at the national level. Dr. Christopher Round coached the young team to tremendous success.

ALEXANDRIA, VA, UNITED STATES, November 28, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- High Noon Judo, a premier martial arts academy, delivered a stellar performance at two major judo events in Dallas last weekend: the 2024 Dallas Open Judo Championship and the USA Judo President's Cup Championships. These two events are the last part of the USA Judo national tour.

Dallas Open Judo Championship Results:

• Tim Spriggs: In his first judo tournament, Tim easily captured Gold in the brown belt division. Spriggs, a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt and renowned IBJJF World No-Gi Champion (2018), brought his world-class grappling skills to the judo tatami with incredible success. In the black belt division, Tim fought hard but lost to US #7 Kedge Zawack in the first round. He then picked up a win against US #10 Noran Brown before losing to teammate Haytam Benyahia.

• Haytam Benyahia: Secured Silver in the Senior Black Belt division. Haytam, a former member of the Moroccan National team, overcame a first-round loss and a difficult ankle injury to five straight matches. He achieved wins over several top-ranked players in the United States, such as Kedge Zawack and Geronimo Saucedo, before falling to US #2 Daniel Liubimovski.

• Eloise Painter: Eloise only needed less than a minute to dispatch her first two opponents to setup a final match against her rival Emma Tavarez. While she fell in the final, Eloise continues to make great strides.

• Viktoria Evodkimov: Earned Silver on the first day of competition. She started off beating rival Selena Roman in the first round and then won her semi-final match in less than 7 seconds. She lost in the finals to April Liu from LA Judo.

• Alex Painter: Sensei Alex Painter went 2-2 to place 4th. He won his first match against William Robles from LA Tenri by ippon in overtime but then dropped his semi-final match. He then won his next match in just 13 seconds before losing the rematch to Robles for bronze.

• Cyrus Na: Cyrus Na finished 5th after winning his first match against Connor Moran from Kokoro Judo club. He fought a back-and-forth battle in the semi-finals against rival Carmine Vella from Colton brown Training Center. Carmine managed to time Cyrus for wazari earlier in the match, and Cyrus showed an immense amount of heart. Cyrus continued to attack the rest of the match and nearly beat his rival with an armbar. Afterwards, Cyrus lost a tactical match to Tigran Galstian from Olymp Fight Club on penalties.
USA Judo President's Cup Championships Results:

• Liam Donovan: Liam, the head sensei for Indiana University Judo club and one of Dr. Christopher Rounds first black belts, claimed Gold in his veterans division. Liam went 2-1 in a best two out of three to win on Sunday.

• Heidi Holz: Sensei Heidi Holz was uncontested in her division and thus took home Gold.

• Eloise Painter: Earned Silver, adding to her Dallas Open success. Elosie competed in two divisions. In her first division she went 2-2, losing twice to Emma Tavarez. In her second division, she defeated rival Jessica Rudnin to take silver.

• Viktoria Evodkimov: Viktoria had the most matches of any member of High Noon in Dallas. After fighting three matches the day before, she competed in two divisions on Sunday. Her older age group went first where she showed tremendous growth, placing 4th after going 3-2. In her own age group, she finished bronze after receiving a bye into the semi finals. Vika won her first match and then lost again to April Liu. Her division being double elimination, she then fought rival and friend, US Juvenile Pan Am team member Abby Tavarez, but unfortunately came up short. Vika will finish her time in the intermediate age group ranked as #3 in the country.

• Cyrus Na: Secured Bronze in the senior novice division.

• Tim Spriggs: Spriggs had a breakthrough day that saw him finish 5th in the Senior Black Belt division. He started his day winning against veteran Cody Costello from Griffin Judo in 30 seconds. Unfortunately, his inexperience worked against him in his match against Geronimo Saucedo who defeated him on penalties. He then defeated US #10 Noran Brown for the second day in a row and armbarred Doug Bedsaul to get into the bronze medal match. Tim had a good showing but fell to Giuseppi Inserra after a back and forth match. Tim Spriggs’ 5th-place finish at the President's Cup in the highly competitive Senior Black Belt division officially places him among the top 100kg judo players in the United States, further solidifying his transition from elite Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu to the highest levels of competitive judo.

To cap off the weekend, High Noon Judo was formally awarded its national championship that it won last spring by USA Judo.

The High Noon Judo team was led by Dr. Christopher Round, a dedicated martial artist, accomplished judo coach, and the founder of Martial Arts for Social Transformation, Equity, and Rights (MASTERS), a nonprofit focused on empowering communities through martial arts. Dr. Round was supported by assistant coaches Heidi Holz and Alexander Painter, who played a pivotal role in the team's outstanding success.

High Noon Judo continues to make strides on the national stage, combining competitive excellence with a commitment to community engagement. Through MASTERS, Dr. Round and his team foster social equity and transformative opportunities, blending martial arts with a mission for greater societal impact.

For more information about High Noon Judo and their programs, visit High Noon Judo's website. To learn more about MASTERS and its initiatives, visit martialartsforsocialgood.org.

Christopher Round, PhD
Executive Director for MASTERs and Judo Program Director for
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