JOHN DAVID MERCER/USA TODAY SPORTS
The USA’s Travis Stevens, probably the hardest working judoka around, has taken home a silver medal in the 2016 Olympic games.
Travis Stevens when asked why he focuses on the Ground Game (Newaza), he answered:
“Because nobody else is doing it.”
He showed great Newaza and was able to win 3 matches with ground techniques: 2 by pins and 1 by bow and arrow choke.
In his third Olympics, Travis Stevens achieved what no other male American did, get a silver. The fifth seeded Stevens, won his first three matches during the preliminary rounds of the men’s 81kg tournament. During two of these matches the Judo and BJJ black belt was able to defeat his opponents with his superior ground game: Uzbekistan’s Shaxzod Sobirov and Bulgaria’s Ivaylo Ivanov.
In the semi final Stevens faced world No. 1 Avtandil Tchrikishvili of Georgia and choked him out by bow and arrow.
In the finals, he faced Khasan Khalmurzaev of Russia who threw Stevens with uchimata to score ippon.
Semi finals submission win:
