No success on the first day of the judo grand prix event in Almaty, Kazakhstan as the only American competing, Aaron Kunihiro, went the distance but was defeated by Azerbaijan’s Vugar Shirinli by a waza-ari. Nicholas Delpopolo will go for the US on Saturday in the men’s -73kg division. Like Kunihiro he has yet to advance past the round of 32 this year. Leilani Akiyama and Hannah Martin, both in the -63kg division. Akiyama made the round of 16 in two of her four grand prix events so far in 2016. She is the only American to compete at every grand prix and grand slam stop this year.

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