Honors
2005 National Championships Best Technique Award
2003 National Championship Outstanding Athlete Award
Highlights
Olympic Teams: 2004
World Championship Teams: 2007, 2005 (Ninth), 2002 (Junior)
Pan American Games Team: 2007
Pan American Championship Teams: 2004
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GOLD MEDALIST OF:
2007 -- Tre-Torri International.
2007 -- USA Judo Senior National.
2007 -- USA Judo Pan Am Games.
2007 -- New York Open.
2005 -- National Championships.
SILVER MEDALIST OF:
2005 -- U.S. Open.
2003 -- New York Open.
BRONZE MEDALIST OF:
2006 -- National (66kg).
2006 -- U.S. Open (66kg).
2005 -- New York Open.
2004 -- Benito Juarez.
2005 -- Pan Amercan.
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Name: Taraje Williams-Murray
Weight Category: 60kg
Date of Birth: November 9, 1984
Place of Birth: Bronx, N.Y.
Hometown/Current Residence: Bronx, N.Y.
Clubs: New York Athletic Club / Spartak Sports Club
Coach: Arkadiy Aronov
Education: B.S. Computer Science Minor in Business with Honors, Long Island University
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Twenty-two-year-old Taraje took up judo in September of 1992, at 8-years-old, after his cousin started the sport. The fourth of six children, he says at one time they all did judo. His sisters, Kaure and Kinanda, both medaled at the senior nationals, but Taraje was the only one to stick with the sport.
From the very beginning Williams-Murray was in love with judo - as a kid, he says the worst punishment his parents could give was be not allowing him to go to practice. Watching the men’s lightweight division at the senior nationals when he was just 12, Williams-Murray told those around him that he was going to take over that weight class.
An accomplished junior level competitor and member of the 2002 U.S. Junior World Championship team, Williams-Murray officially moved up to the senior level in 2003. He quickly took over the top spot at 60 kilograms. Since that time, he’s been the dominant player in the division, winning the 2003 Rendez Vous Canada, 2004 & 2007 New York Open, 2003-2005 & 2007 National Championships, 2004 Olympic Trials and 2005 & 2007 World Trials.
Achieving success early is nothing new to Williams-Murray. At 15 he began attending Long Island University. After taking some time off to make the Olympic team, he graduated May 2007, with a B.S. in Computer Science, Minor in Business with Honors. Taraje wasted no time getting back to his studies, as he began Boston University Metropolitan College’s M.S. Program in Banking and Financial Services Management immediately after his graduation.
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