Lieby Earns GOLD at Jr Pan American Championships

Katherinne Lieby represented the United States in Cancun, Mexico where she competed in the Junior Pan American Championships. Lieby competed in the under 57kg division in the under 20 year old bracket.

She dominated her first two opponents from Chile and Columbia beating them bu ippon. Her semi final match against the Mexican athlete went the distance but Lieby was able to score a wazari to secure her spot in the finals. The final match was against the reigning Jr Pan American Silver Medalist from Argentina. Katherinne was able to score a wazari and ultimatley capture the Jr Pan American Gold!

"Kathy’s Jr. Pan Am Gold medal performance in Mexico is truly amazing and caps off an unprecedented successful medal run for Leiby who won her first ever Sr. National Championship Title in April as well as a gold medal at the Junior Olympic Nationals in June where she also secured a birth on the USA Jr. World Team" said Team FORCE Head Coach Jimmy Pedro. "Since moving to Boston and joining our Team Force Program, Kathy has worked extremely hard and has gained a ton of confidence. It is always nice to see people have success who truly deserve it" concluded Pedro.

Next up for Team FORCE is the US Open Championships in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida at the end of July.