Jessica García (born July 12, 1980 in

San Juan San Juan, Spanish for Saint John, may refer to: Places Argentina * San Juan Province, Argentina * San Juan, Argentina, the capital of that province * San Juan, Salta, a village in Iruya, Salta Province * San Juan (Buenos Aires Underground), ...

) is a Puerto Rican

judoka is an unarmed modern Japanese martial art, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyclopedia Nipponica, "Judo"). ...

who competed in the women's lightweight category. She picked up a total of twenty-one medals in her career, including a prestigious gold from the

2010 Central American and Caribbean Games The 21st Central American and Caribbean Games (Spanish: ''XXI Juegos Centroamericanos y del Caribe, Mayagüez 2010'') took place in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, from 18 July 2010 to 1 August 2010. Bid It was understood that Mayagüez was going to b ...

in Mayagüez, and represented her nation Puerto Rico at the

2004 Summer Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics ( el, Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 2004, ), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad ( el, Αγώνες της 28ης Ολυμπιάδας, ) and also known as Athens 2004 ( el, Αθήνα 2004), ...

. Garcia qualified as a lone female judoka for the Puerto Rican squad in the women's lightweight class (57 kg) at the

in Athens, by granting a tripartite invitation from the International Judo Federation. Garcia received a bye in the first round, before she succumbed to an ippon victory and an inner-thigh throw ( uchi mata) from German judoka and eventual Olympic champion

Yvonne Bönisch Yvonne Snir-Bönisch (; born 29 December 1980 in Ludwigsfelde, East Germany) is a German judo coach and former judoka. She retired in 2008. She won a gold medal in the lightweight division (57 kg) at the 2004 Summer Olympics and was a t ...

just seventeen seconds into her opening match. In the repechage, Garcia gave herself a chance for an Olympic bronze medal, but she was duly wrapped in a scarf hold ( kesa gatame) and pinned down the tatami by defending Olympic champion

Isabel Fernández María Isabel Fernández Suárez (born 10 March 1980) is a Bolivian journalist and politician who served as minister of communication from January to June 2020. Fernández was the final official to serve in that post, with the Ministry of C ...

of Spain for two minutes and thirty-two seconds during their first playoff of the draft. When her nation Puerto Rico hosted the

in Mayagüez, Garcia reached the pinnacle of her sporting career, as she toppled Venezuela's

Ysis Barreto Ysis (Isis) Lenis Barreto Rodríguez (born 27 March 1980 in Caracas) is a judoka from Venezuela. Early and personal life Barreto was born in Caracas and began judo when she was 13 years old. She is member of Judo Anzoátegui club in ...

down the tatami on an ippon to claim the women's lightweight judo title.

References

External links

* 1980 births Living people Puerto Rican female judoka Olympic judoka of Puerto Rico Judoka at the 2004 Summer Olympics Judoka at the 2003 Pan American Games Judoka at the 2007 Pan American Games Judoka at the 2011 Pan American Games Sportspeople from San Juan, Puerto Rico Central American and Caribbean Games gold medalists for Puerto Rico Competitors at the 2010 Central American and Caribbean Games Central American and Caribbean Games medalists in judo Pan American Games competitors for Puerto Rico 21st-century Puerto Rican women {{PuertoRico-judo-bio-stub