Liana Mutia (Philadelphia, Pa. / El Idrissi Judo Academy) and Christella Garcia (Sacramento, Calif. / Team Sacramento Judo) will be returning to their second and third Paralympic teams, respectively, after combining for a total of 10 Grand Prix and three Senior World Championship medals between the two of them.
A Tokyo Paralympian at 63 kg, Mutia moved down to 57 kg when the weight categories were restructured after the 2021 Games and ended the 2023 season ranked No. 1 in the world after back-to-back bronze medal wins at the 2022 IBSA World Championships and IBSA World Games in the J1 57 kg event. Mutia, the first U.S. athlete ever to earn a No. 1 IBSA World Ranking, earned her fourth Grand Prix medal in May with a bronze medal finish at the Tbilisi Grand Prix in Georgia.
At 45 years old, Garcia will be the oldest U.S. woman to represent USA Judo on the Paralympic stage, but the 2016 Rio Paralympic bronze medalist has become one of the most consistent athletes on the circuit during the last two years, winning six straight Grand Prix medals in the J1 +70 kg division as well as the 2023 IBSA World Games bronze medal. With just two finishes off the podium in the last 10 tournaments, Garcia is a top contender to return to the podium in Paris.
For inquiries: Bill Kellick - bill.kellick@usajudo.us