USA Judo has announced that 20 athletes will represent their country at the 2018 IBSA Judo World Championships in Lisbon, Portugal, from 16-18 November.

The group includes defending world champion Dartanyon Crockett and Rio 2016 Paralympic bronze medallist Christella Garcia.

Some of the team have already been in action this year, competing at the 2018 IBSA Judo World Cup in April and the Pan-American Championships in May.

Crockett returned from a shoulder injury at the World Cup to add more points to his world ranking. He will try to retain his men’s -90kg world title from four years ago in Colorado Springs, USA.

Garcia left Rio 2016 with a bronze in her pocket after nabbing the win in her fight against Brazil’s Deanne Silva de Almeida in the women’s +70kg.

Cindy Simon, Katie Davis and Ben Goodrich’s stocks are also high after they claimed medals at the Pan-Americans in Calgary, Canada.

Full team:

Men
Ron Hawthorne -60kg
Robert Tanaka -66 kg
Ricardo Castaneda -66 kg
Anthony Ferraro -73 kg  
Adnan Gutic -81 kg
Nathan Ostergaard -90 kg 
Dartanyon Crockett -90 kg
Ben Goodrich -100 kg 
Ricky Ties -100 kg 
Robert Anderson +100 kg
Kevin Brousard +100 kg

Women
Marissa Arndt -52 kg 
Michelle Yoo -52 kg  
Liana Mutia -57 kg 
Cindy Simon -63 kg
Laurie Pokin -63 kg  
Christella Garcia -70 kg
Sara Luna -70 kg 
Katie Davis +70 kg
Lori Pierce +70 kg

As well as the titles on offer, the 2018 IBSA Judo World Championships will be a crucial qualification opportunity for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.