Next stop: London

Nick Delpopolo and Kyle Vashkulat competed at last Saturday's Morris Cup judo tournament at Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake High School with something greater in the back of their minds: an Olympic medal. The two Jason Morris Judo Center students qualified for the United States Olympic judo team at separate events over the last five weeks. Vashkulat earned his spot by placing fifth at the Pan American Championships April 28 in Montreal, and Delpopolo defeated Mike Eldred in a special fight-off May 12 in Miami. "It's a dream come true," said Vashkulat, who will represent the U.S. in London next month in the 100-kilogram division. "You've worked so hard for the opportunity, and it only comes around once every four years." "I can't really put it into words," said Delpopolo. "It's a lifelong work of dedication and sacrifice. Now, the fun part happens. I try to go after an Olympic medal." Delpopolo came close to missing the cut in the 73kg division. He lost to Eldred in the first match of the fight-off, which meant he had to take two out of the next three bouts in order to qualify for the U.S. team. Delpopolo and Eldred each won one bout in the series before Delpopolo threw Eldred in the final bout to win the fight-off. "I was losing the (last) match, and then I got his leg and he tried a sacrifice throw," said Delpopolo. "When he went for the sacrifice throw I countered it, which automatically meant that I won the match." "It says a lot about his character and his mental fortitude," said coach Jason Morris, a four-time Olympian himself. "The other kid (Eldred) is a great player. It's a shame someone had to lose." Vashkulat was also on the verge of missing the cut before he placed fifth in Montreal. Now, his parents are able to see him compete when they attend the Olympics – a trip that they planned to take months in advance. "They booked it before I knew if I was going," said Vashkulat. "They said, 'Look, we're going whether you're there or not.'" Delpopolo and Vash-kulat are ranked among the top 22 judoka interna-tionally in their weight classes, which is the qualifying standard for the Olympics. "I think it's incredible, and the fact that they're both Burnt Hills (High School) graduates … how about that?" said Morris. At age 21, Vashkulat is the youngest member of the U.S. Olympic team and the youngest competitor in the 100kg division. "Obviously being the youngest guy in the division, I have a dis-advantage because the other guys are older and have more experience," said Vashkulat. "But, I feel like I can compete against them." "Kyle has had a couple of impressive wins internationally, so he could surprise some people," said Morris. Delpopolo won't be taking anybody in his weight class by surprise. The 23-year-old has competed against all of the other judoka that will be representing their countries in London. "The thing about the Olympics is each country gets to send only one guy, so I'm not going up against four guys from France or four guys from China," said Delpopolo. "I have to come up with a strategy for everybody there, but with only 22 guys in the division, it can be done." "The Olympics is a different type of compe-tition (than other judo tournaments)," said Morris. "If you can get hot in one or two rounds, you can wind up in the medal round." While in London, Vashkulat and Delpopolo will be taking Morris' advice and taking in as much of the Olympic experience as they can. Both said they will march in the opening and closing ceremonies, and they plan on meeting as many athletes as possible during the Games. "The one thing Jason told me after I qualified is experience everything," said Vashkulat. "There's going to be so many top level athletes there in all different sports." Vashkulat and Delpo-polo will have each other to hang out with, too. Delpopolo said they plan on rooming together at the Olympic Village during the Games. "We used to be room-mates at Jason's house (while attending BH-BL), and we room together on road trips," said Delpopolo. "It's great that we get to experience this together."

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Next stop: London

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