Just eight days after winning his second Pan American Championship, Reser defeated his first two opponents in a combined time of less than a minute.

In the first round, Reser won by ippon (instant win) over Luca Negrini (ITA) 45 seconds into the match, before throwing Mario Rudle (SLO) off the grip in six seconds.

Reser’s next win also was by ippon in the third minute of the quarter-final against Norbert Fleischer (GER).

In the semifinals, Reser met Marco Maddaloni (ITA), the 2004 European U23 Champion who beat Reser in the final of the Swiss Open in April. Maddaloni took this win as well, scoring a waza-ari (half-point) and ippon to advance to the final.

Reser then fought for bronze against Amar Meridja (ALG), a former top 66kg player who placed fifth at the 2006 World Championships. Meridja moved up to 73kg in 2004 and finished fifth at the Hamburg Super World Cup the following year.

Reser led throughout the five-minute match by a yuko (quarter-point) and a koka (smallest points) to win bronze.

Although the only American to place on Saturday, Reser was one of four U.S. athletes to fight in the 73kg division.

Former National and Pan American Champion Chuck Jefferson (San Jose, Calif. / USA Judo National Training Site at San Jose State University) lost by a koka and then ippon to Manuel Muller (GER) in the first round.

Lincoln Han (San Diego, Calif. / Judo America) lost early in the first round to Luca Marchetti (ITA).

Dustin Moran (Kalamazoo, Mich. / South Side Dojo) also lost early in the first round to eventual bronze medalist Florin Petrehele (ITA). Moran was pulled through to the repechage where he lost by ippon to Samo Maslesa (SLO).

For more information, contact Nicole Jomantas, USA Judo Director of Communications and Media Relations, at 719.271.9937 (cell) or Nicole.Jomantas@usajudo.us.