Member News

September 12, 2007

World Championships Begin Thursday with Heavyweights  

( Rio de Janeiro , Brazil ) – Team USA begins competition in four heavyweight divisions on Thursday at the World Championships in Rio de Janeiro , Brazil . 

Kirk Hoffmann, +100kg

Competition begins with early rounds at 11 a.m. local time (10 a.m. EDT).  Medal rounds begin at 8:45 p.m. local time (7:45 p.m. EDT). 

Kirk Hoffmann ( Colorado Springs , Colo. / USA Judo National Training Site at the Olympic Training Center / +100kg) is Team USA ’s veteran on Thursday, having competed at the 2005 Worlds in Cairo . 

A bronze medalist at the Pan Am Championships in Montreal in May, Hoffmann is looking for his first

Adler Volmar, 100kg

World Championships win.  

Adler Volmar ( Coral Springs , Fla. / USA Judo National Training Site at North Miami / 100kg)has competed at the Worlds for his native Haiti, but this will be the first time Volmar has represented the United States at a World Championships.  

Asma Sharif, +78kg

Asma Sharif ( Wakefield , Mass. / USA Judo National Team FORCE) will be competing in just her second international event since moving up from 78kg to +78kg.  Likely one of the smallest of the heavyweights, Sharif’s first international competition in this division also was in Rio when she fought at the Pan American Games in July. 

Marina Lambert, 78kg

The youngest member of the team, 15-year-old Marina Lambert ( Chesapeake , Va. /

Washington Judo) will be competing on her third U.S. Team in the 78kg division.  Lambert placed fifth at the Pan American Games in July.