The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

IT seems as if every time Xavion Johnson steps on the judo mat, he continues to get better and better and is cementing his name as one of the most outstanding Bahamian competitors in the sport.

Johnson, 12, returned from a trip to Atlanta, Georgia, where he participated in a four-week circuit in four different tournaments in four different states where he accumulated more medals and trophies in the intermediate II and juvenile A categories.

He went to Tennessee where he earned two gold, in South Carolina he picked up two more gold and the most outstanding junior trophy, in Mississippi he added two more gold and he capped it off in Dallas with two gold and the most outstanding junior trophy as well.

“I feel good,” said Johnson in an interview with The Tribune. “I was surprised that I won all of the tournaments that I entered in.”

He said the tournament at the Dallas Invitational was the most exciting one for him because “it had a lot of people and I was able to get some good competition from some of the top people in the country.”

Although he has only been actively involved in judo for just over five years, Johnson said he’s extremely proud of his expanding accomplishments.

“My coaches have done a lot to get me ready for the competition and I believe that I can do it,” said Johnson, a sixth grade student at Leadership Academy.Johnson attributes a great deal of his success from the training he has gotten as a member of the Eastwood Judo Club where he is coached by sensei Micky Munnings and from Joshua White, who coaches him in the United States.

White, who has been working with Johnson for the past two years, credits a lot of Johnson’s success to his mother Ordain Moss, who has instilled in her son the ability to set goals and try to achieve them.

“I think his performance so far has been amazing,” said White about Johnson’s latest achievements, which have been ranked as a first for any Bahamian.

“He has been to all of the major tournaments in the USA and the Bahamas and he has shown total domination, focus and determination to make sure that he stays on top of his age group and weight and the group above his.”

White said his aim is to push Johnson to become the greatest individual that he can be because “judo is a sport that does that” and so he wants him to become the best person on and off the mat.

What he doesn’t get from White, Johnson has received from Munnings, who has coached him for the past four and-a-half years.

“His achievement and success comes from hard work. He is very dedicated to training, tries to be on time, first one to reach most times and the last one to leave,” Munnings said.

By putting in 110 per cent into practice, Munnings said Johnson has been successful in his performances. “He was very successful in the tournaments he competed in this year,” he stated. “He attended numerous of tournaments and was undefeated. So he was very successful.”

Based on what he has seen, Munnings said the goal is get him to compete at the Junior Olympics, so he will have to put in a lot of hard work to achieve that goal.

While he gives credit where credit is due to his coaches, Johnson said he owes a great deal of commendation to his mother for her perseverance in making sure that everything goes well in his training locally and overseas.

“I am very proud of her. She was the one who got me into the sport,” he said. “Without here, none of these things will come through.”

As a single parent mother, Moss said she tries to ensure that he has every opportunity to excel in the sport.

“I am amazed. Last year he competed in this same competition in Dallas and got a bronze with a hyper extension shoulder. He was in therapy for months after this one tournament. So for him to go back to this tournament and fought in two divisions and won two gold and the most outstanding trophy shows the dramatic growth that he’s had over the year.”

Moss said she sent her only child off on a month-long trip to the USA and she was pleased that White was able to take care of him.

During his latest trip, Johnson said he had to endure the chilly weather, but he was pleased to have Wright in his corner, not just as his international coach but as a father-figure, to take care of him as he competed in the “greatest sport.

“I want to become a ninja and that is why I chose judo,” he said. “If I wasn’t doing judo, I probably would be running marathons. I like to run. I competed in two Vitamalt marathons and I won my age group. It was a year fundraiser. But I don’t think I will run the Bahamas Marathon right now.”

With such a head start in judo, Johnson said his ultimate goal is to become a five-time Olympic champion and four-time World champion.

Next year, Moss said she intends to send her son off to as many competitions as possible in the USA because it’s hard for him to get the competition he needs in his division here at home.

“We want him to move from a mere two-three major tournaments to increase it to a huge tournament in Chicago and possibly a few more tournaments that we have on our radar.

“It’s an amazing accomplishment, especially for judo because judo is not as known locally, but it is an amazing sport and because of the passion that I’ve seen in Xavion, I have sacrificed to push him to reach his goals.”

Johnson may not compete in the local judo tournament on Saturday at the Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium. If he doesn’t have a competitor whom he can match up against, he will take the time off to recuperate and get ready for next year.

“My goal is to get him into as many tournaments as possible in the United States,” Moss said. “His goal is to be in the World Championships and the Olympics by the age of 18, which is 2024, the exact year that he turns 18. “It’s very rare to have an 18-year-old fighting in the Olympics, but that is his goal and we are going to do whatever we can to help him achieve it.”

So far, Johnson is heading in the right direction.