BEIJING, China – Amberle Montgomery of Oklahoma City University won a silver medal at 63 kilograms (138.75 lbs.) in the SportAccord World Combat Games on Wednesday.
This unique competition includes elite international competition in a number of combat and martial arts disciplines. Montgomery lost to Olesya Zamula of Azerbaijan in the gold-medal finals 4-2, 6-0. Zamula was fifth in the 2008 World Championships, and also competed in the 2008 Olympic Games.
Montgomery, a sophomore from Kent, Wash., went 2-1 in her pool competition, with victories over Olga Kalinina of Kazakhstan and Kayoko Kudo of Japan, and a loss to Panpan Yang of China. Kalinina was seventh in the 2009 World Championships at 59 kg. Yang was a 2010 Asian Junior champion.
Nobody went unbeaten in the pool, and Montgomery advanced to the finals by scoring the most classification points during her matches, bolstered by two pins.
Montgomery is currently a member of Women’s Team USA, holding a No. 3 ranking on the national team at her weight class. She was a 2010 WCWA women’s college national champions for Oklahoma City University.
Michaela Hutchison of OCU took fifth in the 55-kilogram (121-pound) division. In her pool, she defeated Katarzyna Krawczyk of Poland, but dropped bouts to Zulfiya Yakhyarova of Kazakhstan and Brittanee Laverdure of Canada. In the fifth-place bout, Hutchison, a junior from Soldotna, Alaska, stopped Tatiana Debien of France, 4-1, 3-0. Laverdure, a 2008 World bronze medalist, was the eventual champion at 55 kg/121 lbs.
Hutchison has won the WCWA Women’s College Nationals competing for the Stars for two consecutive years and has held a national ranking on the senior level in her weight class.
SPORTACCORD WORLD COMBAT GAMES
At Beijing, China
55 kg/121 lbs.
Gold – Brittanee Laverdure (Canada)
Silver – Chikako Matsukawa (Japan)
Bronze – Gui Liu (China)
Fourth – Zukfiya Yakhyarova (Kazakhstan)
Fifth – Michaela Hutchison (USA)
Sixth – Tatiana Debien (France)
Seventh – Katarzyna Krawczyk (Poland)
Eighth – Katerina Domrovska (Azerbajain)
63 kg/138.75 lbs.
Gold – Olesya Zamula (Azerbaijan)
Silver – Amberle Montgomery (USA)
Bronze – Panpan Yang (China)
Fourth – Stacie Anaka (Canada)
Fifth –Kayoko Kudo (Japan)
Sixth – Paulina Grabowska (Poland)
Seventh – Irene Garcia (Spain)
Eighth – Olga Kalinina (Kazakhstan)
Individual results
55 kg/121 lbs. – Michaela Hutchison, Soldotna, Alaska (Gator WC/OCU), 5th
LOSS Zulfiya Yakhyarova (Kazakhstan), 1-0, 1-3, 0-1
WIN Katarzyna Krawczyk (Poland), 1-1, 2-0, 2-2
LOSS Brittanee Laverdure (Canada), 0-1, 0-5
WIN Tatiana Debien (France), 4-1, 3-0
63 kg/138.75 lbs. – Amberle Montgomery, Kent, Wash. (Gator WC/OCU), 2nd
WIN Olga Kalinina (Kazakhstan), 0-1, pin
WIN Kayoko Kudo (Japan), pin
LOSS Panpan Yang (China), 0-8, 2-4
LOSS Olesya Zamula (Azerbaijan), 2-4, 0-6