What a weekend. From September 18–20, 2026, the San Jose Open brought together more than 1,000 competitors from nearly 100 dojos — and Kensei Judo was right in the middle of it.
Forty-seven athletes represented our dojo across the three days, from first-time competitors stepping onto the mat for the very first time to seasoned veterans returning to tested ground. (That count doesn’t even include the college students who train with us but competed under Spartan Judo at SJSU — we were cheering for them too.)
When the final matches wrapped up, Kensei athletes had earned 28 medals: 9 gold, 13 silver, and 6 bronze — along with three 1st-place team awards.
Results at a Glance
- 28 medal results: 9 gold, 13 silver, 6 bronze
- Best Senior Developmental Team: 1st place
- Best Junior Development Team: 1st place
- Day 1 Best Overall Team: 1st place
- Day 2 Best Overall Team: 4th place
Some athletes competed in more than one division, so the 28 medals represent podium results rather than 28 individual medalists — which makes the depth of this team even more impressive.
Team Awards
Gold Medalists
- Tanessha Bhargava — Bantam Novice C, under 34 kg
- Madalyn Lam — Bantam Novice C, under 47 kg
- Stella Le — Intermediate Novice, under 52 kg
- Avalyn Lam — Intermediate Novice, under 57 kg
- Arianna Eurek — Juvenile Novice, under 63 kg
- Sydnee Nguyen — Novice, under 70 kg
- Wesley Chang — Cadet Novice, under 50 kg
- Hong Nguyen — Senior Novice, under 73 kg
- Akura Gordillo — Veterans Novice, under 100 kg
Silver Medalists
- Star Tali — Bantam Novice B, under 22 kg
- Alexa Tunison — Bantam Novice C, under 26 kg
- Madeline Dinh — Bantam Novice C, under 30 kg
- Myra Verma — Bantam Novice C, under 38 kg
- Janani Lokesh — Bantam 6 Standard, under 35 kg
- Avalyn Lam — Bantam Intermediate, over 41 kg
- Emma Le — Juvenile Novice, under 36 kg
- Simon Trinh — Juvenile Novice, under 60 kg
- Niva Maharjan — Senior Novice, under 63 kg
- Joshua Bean — Senior Novice, under 73 kg
- Hunter Nguyen — Senior Novice, under 81 kg
- David Nguyen — Senior Novice, under 90 kg
- Hunter Nguyen — Senior Brown Belt, under 81 kg
Bronze Medalists
- Trana Lam — Bantam 6 Standard, under 27 kg
- Tychael Le — Juvenile Novice, under 55 kg
- Maleah Anaya — IJF Junior Standard, under 52 kg
- Saanvi Jaiswal — Juvenile Novice, under 52 kg
- Mateo Cornillez — Juvenile Novice, under 66 kg
- William Ezunkpe — Intermediate Standard, over 73 kg
Every Competitor Matters
Not everyone came home with a medal, and that is part of the sport. Every athlete who steps onto the mat gains something — experience, resilience, and lessons that only competition can teach. Many of these competitors were testing themselves for the first time, and others returned to the tournament scene after time away. Each of them represented Kensei with heart, and we are just as proud of them:
- Roman Eurek — Bantam Novice A, under 26 kg
- Meevan Barua — Bantam Novice B, under 22 kg
- Albert Zhao — Bantam Novice B, under 22 kg
- Adyuth Y — Bantam Novice B, under 26 kg
- Hiroshi Roberts — Bantam Novice B, under 30 kg
- Eva Le — Bantam Novice C, under 38 kg
- Trana Lam — Bantam 5 Standard, under 29 kg
- Lilian Huynh — Juvenile Novice, under 44 kg
- Oliver Espinoza — Intermediate Novice, under 50 kg
- Maleah Anaya — Cadet Standard, under 52 kg
- Kenny Huynh — Cadet Standard, under 55 kg
- Mathew Tran — Cadet Novice, under 60 kg
- Tsukasa Wakabayashi — Senior Novice, under 66 kg
- Matthew Truong — Juvenile Standard, under 66 kg
- Mateo Cornillez — Juvenile Standard, under 66 kg
- Aaron Bao Huynh — Cadet Standard, under 66 kg
- Lam Phan — Senior Novice, under 90 kg
A few athletes appear in both lists above because they entered multiple divisions — medaling in one and fighting hard in another. That willingness to keep stepping back onto the mat is exactly what we love to see.
Losses are not the opposite of progress; they are part of it. Every match, win or lose, builds the competitor.
Thank You to Our Volunteers
A weekend like this doesn’t happen without the people behind the scenes. Thank you to the coaches who prepared our athletes, the parents who rearranged their weekends, and the volunteers who kept Mat 7 running smoothly across all three days. Your work made this possible.
Congratulations, Kensei
To every competitor and volunteer: congratulations, and thank you for representing our dojo with skill, sportsmanship, and heart.
If watching our team has you curious about trying judo — whether for your child or for yourself — come visit us. Your first class is free, and you don’t need any experience to start.