On April 19th, Mr Lee, Mr Deschaine and a group of courageous students went to Duke Kunshan to compete in an open judo competition. Each student put on amazing performances despite the fact that many of them were competing for the first time. The competitors included Teddy Zhao, Felix Pinard, Judy Wang, Panda Chen, Moheb Cheema, Dylan Norman and Mr Lee.
Here’s how each of their competitions went
让我们来看一下比赛中的精彩瞬间
Teddy Zhao
Competing in the under 66kg weight class, Teddy managed to make his way to the semifinal where he fought diligently against a fighter with much more experience. Teddy dominated the match, being the one who attacked the most. But after a quarter of the match had gone by, his opponent exploded into an attack which put Teddy’s back on the mat, causing him to lose the match. However, Teddy fought his way back and left his first tournament with a bronze medal.
Felix Pinard
Felix was faced with unfair circumstances in the under 90kg category. His first opponent was not only more experienced but also taller than him. Despite this, Felix showed no fear as he sprang into attack mode. He and his opponent began pushing and pulling, each trying all sorts of throws until his opponent used his body weight to shoulder throw Felix, costing him the match. Despite the loss, Felix displayed skill, bravery and a fighting spirit.
Judy Wang
Due to the lack of fighters in the girls’ division, Judy had to compete with a black belt. Judy’s fight was intense. She gave her opponent a difficult fight until an attempt by Judy to throw the opponent was countered and she lost the fight. Judy’s next match was far more interesting as she fought her friend and SUIS’s very own Panda Chen (see Panda Chen’s part).
Panda Chen
Panda’s first fight was incredibly intense, lasting a full minute and 30 seconds. Her opponent was very good at judo and stand-up fighting, being able to throw Panda many times but not scoring any points. Eventually, her opponent threw her, but she landed on her side and began fighting on the ground, where she dominated her opponent due to her jiu-jitsu skills.
Then, Panda’s next fight was with Judy Wang, where Panda had the edge due to her size and strength. The two went back and forth, both having to stabilize themselves with their knees many times. They each attempted a multitude of throws. After a minute of pure combat, Panda initiated a throw and Judy’s chest hit the ground, but due to the impact, the referee gave the win to Panda. Panda brought back a medal from the women’s division.
Moheb Cheema
Moheb Cheema had the most matches among all the students, competing in the under 90kg class. Though he lost his quarterfinal in just 45 seconds to a more experienced fighter, he refused to give up. In his next match, he faced a skilled brown belt in a hard-fought battle. Moheb noticed that his opponent was lacking in ground fighting skill. Trailing by half a point with 30 seconds left, Moheb executed a takedown and used his jiu-jitsu knowledge on the ground to lock in a submission and win. His final fight was the longest of the tournament among all the SUIS students—a grueling four-minute match. With three minutes in, he countered a throw to score a decisive half point and defended it until the end to claim the bronze medal.
Dylan Norman
Dylan was the student with the most impressive performance, earning a silver medal and perfectly displaying the reason he had a yellow belt. He won his first match quickly in less than 20 seconds. As soon as the referee started the match, he and his opponent went for throws back to back. His opponent made the dire mistake of going for a throw without putting Dylan off balance. Dylan masterfully countered it with a throw of his own, gaining him a full point in a short amount of time and putting him in the semifinal.
In the semifinal, he had a brutal fight where he and his opponent went for throw after throw. His opponent began bleeding from his nose, causing the match to be paused. After the match began again, he and his opponent bounced across the mat until his opponent used his body weight to take Dylan to the ground, costing Dylan the match. But Dylan undoubtedly had the better performance.
Mr Lee
Mr Lee entered the black belt division as a seasoned veteran among younger athletes. His first match ended in defeat against a stronger and faster opponent. He secured a decisive win in his second bout. However, his third match became an unforgettable war—multiple relentless minutes of throws and grips that left both fighters with bloody noses and bruised faces. Though Mr Lee lost on points, the crowd rose to their feet when the two fighters bowed to each other, proving that Mr Lee’s aura is felt not only by students but also by black belt fighters!
In conclusion, while not everyone came back with medals, they came back with pride, putting their bodies on the line to represent the school. Everyone showcased their incredible skills to dojos from all over China!
Written by
Moheb Cheema, G10