Okada Wins a Berth on Olympic Judo Team

Less than a year after graduating from Savanna High, Tony Okada has earned a berth on the U.S. Olympic team, defeating Eddie Liddie, 2-1, Saturday in the U.S. Olympic judo trials in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Okada, the top-ranked American in the 60-kilogram (132-pound) class, was upset by John Matsuoka in the preliminary trials last month. Under the rules, if the top-ranked competitor fails to win the preliminary trials, he must face the winner in a best-of-three series with a spot on the Olympic team on the line.

Okada’s four-match winning streak against Liddie, came to an end when Liddie, from Colorado Springs, won a unanimous decision in their first match.

“I wasn’t really ready for what he was going to do,” said Okada, 19, who lives in Stanton.

Okada sustained a setback 30 seconds into his second match when he was assessed a half-point penalty for an illegal move. If Liddie, 32, a bronze medalist in the 1984 Olympics and last year’s Pan American Games, had scored another half-point, he would have won the match and the Olympic berth. But Okada seized the momentum, scoring a half-point of his own, and won the match.