Kayla Harrison

Kayla Harrison
Harrison at the 2016 Olympics
Born (1990-07-02) July 2, 1990
Middletown, Ohio, U.S.
Residence Danvers, Massachusetts, U.S.
Nationality American
Height 5 ft 8 in (173 cm)[1]
Weight 165 lb (75 kg; 11 st 11 lb)
Trainer Jimmy Pedro
Rank          6th degree black belt in Judo
Notable club(s) NYAC[1]
USA Judo National Team FORCE
Website http://kaylaharrison.com/
Medal record
Representing the  United States
Olympic Games
2012 London–78 kg
2016 Rio de Janeiro–78 kg
World Judo Championships
2010 Tokyo –78 kg
2011 Paris–78 kg
2014 Chelyabinsk–78 kg
Pan American Games
2011 Guadalajara –78 kg
2015 Toronto –78 kg
Pan American Judo Championships
2010 San Salvador –78 kg
2011 Guadalajara –78 kg
2016 Havana –78 kg
2015 Edmonton –78 kg
2013 San José –70 kg

Kayla Harrison (born July 2, 1990) is an American former judoka and who competed in the 78 kg weight category and current mixed martial artist who competes in the lightweight division. She won the 2010 World Championships, gold medals at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics, and gold at the 2011 and 2015 Pan American Games.[1]

Early life

Born in Middletown, Ohio,[2] Harrison took up judo at the age of six, having been introduced to the sport by her mother, who was a black belt. She graduated from Middletown High School (Ohio) in the west side of town.[3]

She began training under coach Daniel Doyle, and won two national championships by the age of 15. However, during that period Doyle was abusing Harrison, who reported it to another judoka, who in turn told Harrison's mother. She subsequently reported this to the police.[4] Doyle was convicted and sentenced to a ten-year prison term.[4] A month after the abuse was revealed, she moved away from her home in Ohio to move to Boston to train with Jimmy Pedro and his father.[4]

Career

Judo

She changed weight classes in 2008, from the −63 kg division to the 78 kg division. However, she couldn't compete in the 2008 Summer Olympics as the United States had not qualified in that division. She won the Junior World Championship that year, and the following year placed second, becoming the first American to compete in two Junior World Championships finals.[2]

She won the gold medal in the −78 kg category at the World Judo Championships in 2010,[5] the first American to do so since 1999 (when her coach, Jimmy Pedro, did so in Birmingham, United Kingdom).[6] At the 2011 World Judo Championship in Paris, she placed third taking the bronze medal. Harrison had lost to the eventual winner, Audrey Tcheuméo of France, in her semi-final.[7]

Prior to the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, she was injured during training, having torn a medial collateral ligament.[4] On August 2, 2012, she won the Olympic title in the −78 kg category, defeating Gemma Gibbons of Britain by two yukos, to become the first American to win an Olympic gold medal in judo.[8][9] She earned a second Olympic gold medal in the same weight class in 2016 in Rio, defeating Audrey Tcheuméo of France.

On August 31, 2016 the United States Judo Association (USJA) made a batsugun promotion of Kayla to rokudan (6th Degree Black Belt) making her the youngest person in the US to ever be awarded this rank.

Mixed martial arts

Harrison, a former training partner of fellow judoka Ronda Rousey, announced in October 2016 that she had signed with World Series of Fighting. While she will initially work as a commentator she also indicated she is contracted to fight, probably in the women's 145 pounds (66 kg) division.[10] [11]

Harrison made her MMA debut at PFL 2 on June 21, 2018 against Brittney Elkin in the Women's Lightweight division.[12] She won via submission due to an armbar in the first round.[13]

For her second professional fight, Harrison faced Jozette Cotton at PFL 6 on August 16, 2018. She won the fight via TKO in the third round.[14]

Television

Kayla Harrison has been a guest in episode 24 of season 6, and in episode 4 of season 7, of the television show "Impractical Jokers."

Mixed martial arts record

Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Win 2–0 Jozette Cotton TKO (punches) PFL 6 August 16, 2018 3 1:24 Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States
Win 1–0 Brittney Elkin Submission (armbar) PFL 2 June 21, 2018 1 3:18 Chicago, Illinois, United States Lightweight debut.

Judo record

Result Rec. Opponent Score Event Division Date Location
Win27-2France Audrey Tcheuméo100-0002016 Olympic Games-78kgAugust 11, 2016Brazil Rio de Janeiro
Win26-2Slovenia Anamari Velenšek100-000
Win25-2Hungary Abigél Joó100-000
Win24-2China Zhang Zhehui100-000
Win23-2Brazil Mayra Aguiar100-000S12015 Pan American Games-78kgJuly 14, 2015Canada Toronto
Win22-2Canada Catherine Roberge100-000S3
Win21-2Guatemala Mirla Nolberto100-000
Win20-2Portugal Yahima Ramirez000-0002014 World Championship-78kgAugust 29, 2014Russia Chelyabinsk
Loss19-2Brazil Mayra Aguiar001-011
Win19-1Slovenia Anamari Velenšek100-000
Win18-1Taiwan Wang Szu-chu101-000
Win17-1Canada Catherine Roberge000-000
Win16-1United Kingdom Gemma Gibbons0020-00002012 Olympic Games-78kgAugust 2, 2012United Kingdom London
Win15-1Brazil Mayra Aguiar1010-0000
Win14-1Hungary Abigél Joó1010-0100
Win13-1Russia Vera Moskalyuk1000-0000
Win12-1Canada Catherine Roberge011-0012011 Pan American Games-78kgOctober 27, 2011Mexico Guadalajara
Win11-1Cuba Yalennis Castillo002-001
Win10-1Brazil Mayra Aguiar001-000
Win9-1Netherlands Marhinde Verkerk001-0002011 World Championship-78kgAugust 26, 2011France Paris
Loss8-1France Audrey Tcheuméo000-001
Win8-0Japan Hitomi Ikeda010-000
Win7-0Mongolia Pürevjargalyn Lkhamdegd101-000
Win6-0Canada Catherine Roberge001-000
Win5-0Brazil Mayra Aguiar001-0002010 World Championship-78kgSeptember 9, 2010Japan Tokyo
Win4-0Ukraine Maryna Pryshchepa102-000
Win3-0France Céline Lebrun000-001
Win2-0Slovenia Ana Velensek100-000
Win1-0Germany Luise Malzahn003-000

References

  1. 1 2 3 Kayla Harrison. sports-reference.com
  2. 1 2 "Kayla Harrison". United States Olympic Committee. Retrieved August 2, 2012.
  3. ↑ "Kayla Harrison High School". Retrieved August 13, 2016.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Chadband, Ian (August 1, 2012). "US Judoka Kayla Harrison overcomes horror of sexual abuse to aim for gold". The Telegraph. Retrieved August 2, 2012.
  5. ↑ "Wenatchee's Farrar second in stage in Spain | A.M. Briefing". Seattle Times. September 9, 2010. Archived from the original on September 11, 2010. Retrieved August 2, 2012. Kayla Harrison defeated Mayra Aguiar of Brazil in the 78-kilogram final in Tokyo to become the first American woman to win a gold medal at the judo world championships since 1984.
  6. ↑ "Kayla Harrison Wins World Championships – First American to Win Since 1999". Team USA. September 9, 2010. Archived from the original on August 2, 2012. Retrieved August 2, 2012.
  7. ↑ "Kayla Harrison wins bronze at 2011 World Judo Championships". PRLOG. August 26, 2011. Retrieved August 2, 2012.
  8. ↑ "Olympics: Harrison wins first judo gold for America". Retrieved August 2, 2012.
  9. ↑ Perrotta, Tom. "How an American Took Down Judo". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved July 20, 2016.
  10. ↑ Morgan, John (October 27, 2016). "Two-time Olympic gold medalist Kayla Harrison signs with WSOF". MMA Junkie.
  11. ↑ "Kayla Harrison will compete in MMA, signs with WSOF". MMA Fighting. October 27, 2016.
  12. ↑ "Kayla Harrison vs. Brittney Elkin set for PFL 2". MMA Fighting. May 2, 2018.
  13. ↑ "PFL 2 results: Kayla Harrison wins pro debut over Brittney Elkin via armbar". MMA Fighting. June 21, 2018.
  14. ↑ "PFL 6 results and highlights: Olympic gold medalist Kayla Harrison wins 2nd pro fight by TKO". Bloody Elbow. August 17, 2018.
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