USA Judo: Takata ‘00 headed to 2008 Olympic Games
With a dominating performance at the U.S. Olympic Judo Trials, Taylor Takata ‘00 punched his ticket to the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. Takata will represent Team USA in the 66kg division (145.5 lb) after defeating No.2-seed Jeremy Liggett in the finals last Friday.
To reach the finals, the top-seeded Takata pinned eighth-seed Tanner Singh in the quarterfinal rounds then held off No. 4-seed Justin Flores in the semifinals.
Takata is just the third judoka from Hawai’i to represent the U.S. in the Olympics and the first since Clifton Sunada in 1996.
[Photo: US Judo]