The 70kg podium at the Kano Cup World Grand Prix on Saturday in Tokyo looked like it could have been the top four players at a World Championships or an Olympic Games. 

Ronda Rousey (Wakefield, Mass. / USA Judo National Team FORCE / NYAC) won the silver medal at one of the most prestigious tournaments in the world and stood on the podium next to 2004 Olympic Champion Masae Ueno (JPN) who won the gold medal.  The bronze medalist were won by Edith Bosch (NED), the 2005 World Champion and 2004 Olympic silver medalist, and Ylenia Scapin (ITA), a three-time World and two-time Olympic medalist. 

The win marks the tenth major international medal won by 20-year-old Rousey this year. 

Rousey worked her first opponent, 2007 European U-23 Champion Beata Rainczuk (POL), earning yuko (quarter-point) and waza-ari (half-point) scores before throwing Rainczuk for ippon (instant win) with a left o uchi gari (major inner leg throw) in the third minute. 

In the second round, Rousey fought Brazilian teenager Mayra Aguiar.  Although their first match early this year was close, with Rousey winning in the last 15 seconds of their Pan Am Games final, Rousey has dominated their last two meetings.  When the two fought in the quarter-finals of the World Championships in September, Rousey pinned Aguiar and did the same on Saturday, throwing the Brazilian for a waza-ari and later ending the match when she pinned Aguiar for 20 seconds to close out the match with a second waza-ari score. 

In the quarter-finals, Rousey fought 2007 Asian Champion Asuka Oka (JPN), the first of three Japanese players she would fight in back-to-back matches.  Rousey, who beat Oka in the first round of the Worlds, threw her with a tsurikomi goshi (hip throw) for ippon to advance to the semifinals. 

Rousey’s next opponent was 2007 Paris Super World Cup medalist Mina Watanabe (JPN), whom she defeated with her well-known armbar. 

In the final match, Rousey met Ueno who won not only the 2004 Games, but the 2001 and 2003 World Championships as well.  The two fought very closely, finishing regulation time scoreless.  In the golden score time period, Rousey was thrown for a yuko score, ending the match.

This year marks the first time that women's divisions have been contested at the Kano Cup, following a merger with the former Fukuoka International which was exclusively a women's tournament. 

Travis Stevens (Glenville, N.Y. / USA Judo National Training Site at the Jason Morris Judo Center) went 3-2 in the 81kg division, placing seventh and missing the opportunity to fight for a medal by only one match. 

In his first round, Stevens met Robert Krawczyk (POL), a 2003 World Championship medalist who placed fifth at the 2004 Olympic Games and 2007 Worlds.  After regulation time ended without a winner, the two entered the Golden Score period.  Stevens scored a koka (smallest points) just over 30 seconds into the overtime period to advance to the second round.

Stevens faced 2005 World bronze medalist Takashi Ono (JPN) in his next round.  Ono threw Stevens with an o uchi gari for the yuko score that would prove to be the throw that would win the match.  Ono would go on to win the silver medal, pulling Stevens into the repechage.

Stevens fought well in the repechage, beating Nick Hein (GER) in the first round.  His next match against 2006 Pan Am silver medalist Tyler Boras (CAN) was their fourth match-up in less than three months.  Like in the previous matches, Stevens won this one, leading by a shido (penalty) committed by Boras until the final 15 seconds when he threw the Canadian for ippon.

In the third repechage round, Stevens fought Masahi Tomouchi (JPN), a seven-time World Cup medalist.  Tomouchi threw Stevens for ippon, placing the American seventh in the division. 

Competition continues on Sunday with the men’s 100kg and +100kg divisions and the women’s 48kg, 52kg and 57kg divisions. 

Complete results are as follows:

Women’s 63kg

1. Yoshie Ueno (JPN)

2. Ayumi Tanimoto (JPN)

3. Lili Xu (CHN)

3. Nozomi Hirai (JPN)

5. Rina Kozawa (JPN)

5. Driulis Gonzalez (CUB)

7. Virginie Henry (FRA)

7. Urska Zolnir (SLO)

Women’s 70kg
1. Masae Ueno (JPN)
2. Ronda Rousey (Wakefield, Mass. / USA Judo National Team FORCE / NYAC)
3. Ylenia Scapin (ITA)
3. Edith Bosch (NED)
5. Mina Watanabe (JPN)
5. Leire Iglesias (ESP)
7. Zhan Zhanzunova (KAZ)
7. Mayra Aguiar (BRA) 

Men’s 73kg

1. Ki-Chun Wang (KOR)

2. Francesco Bruyere (ITA)

3. Masahiko Otsuka (JPN)

3. Pedro Guedes (BRA)

5. Dong-Gyu Seo (KOR)

5. Yusuke Kanamaru (JPN)

7. Yasuhiro Awano (JPN)

7. Masato Inazawa (JPN)

Men’s 81kg

1. Dae Nam Song (KOR)
2. Takashi Ono (JPN)
3. Young Woo Kwon (KOR)
3. Masahi Tomouchi (JPN)
5. Anthony Fritsch (FRA)
5. Sergey Kozel (RUS)
7. Shin Norikane (JPN)
7. Travis Stevens (Glenville, N.Y. / USA Judo National Training Site at the Jason Morris Judo Center)  

Men’s 90kg

1. Ilias Ilidais (GRE)

2. Hiroshi Izumi (JPN)

3. Tatsuki Masubichi (JPN)

3. Seigo Saito (JPN)

5. Sun-Ho Choi (KOR)

5. Yuta Yazaki (JPN)

7. Raniziddin Sayidov (UZB)

7. Dmytro Markov (UKR)