Montréal, April 5, 2024 – On Friday in Cuba, the Canadian judo team concluded its two days of competition at the Pan-American Open in Varadero with a total of five medals: two gold and three bronze. Photo: Facebook, Confederacion Panamericana de Judo Isabelle Harris Isabelle Harris (-63 kg) and Coralie Godbout (-78 kg) spearheaded the squad, claiming the two gold medals, while Laurence Gagnon (-57 kg), Tylor Collin (-60 kg), and Olivier Gagnon (-73 kg) secured the third spot on their respective podiums. “We achieved our objective. The athletes came here to gain some experience and win some me ..read more

Montréal, March 31, 2024 – Ontario’s Shady ElNahas earned a third medal for Canada on the final day of the Antalya Grand Slam in Turkey. On Sunday, ElNahas was awarded silver in the under-100 kg category after forfeiting the final to Jorge Fonseca of Portugal. Photo: IJF, Tamara Kulumbegashvili Shady ElNahas The Canadian would have much preferred to fight for glory against the Tokyo Olympic bronze medallist and 2019 and 2021 world champion, but an injury in the semi-final put his excellent run in jeopardy as the day neared its close. The 26-year-old injured his ribs during his quick victory o ..read more

Montreal, March 30th, 2024 (Judo Canada) – François Gauthier-Drapeau won Canada’s second medal at the Antalya Grand Slam in Turkey. The Quebecer was awarded silver in the under-81 kg category on Saturday, 24 hours after Christa Deguchi’s triumph in the under-57 kg competition. Photo: International Judo Federation Gauthier-Drapeau squared off against defending Olympic champion Takanori Nagase of Japan in the final, the first of his Grand Slam career. A worthy opponent his coach Antoine Valois-Fortier was very familiar with, having faced him on several occasions as an athlete. “It was a very cl ..read more

Montreal, March 29th, 2024 – After capturing bronze a week ago at the Tbilisi Grand Slam in Georgia, Christa Deguchi made her return to the podium on Friday, this time with a gold medal around her neck in the under-57 kg category at the Antalya Grand Slam in Turkey. Photo IJF Jessica Lima, Christa Deguchi, Maysa Pardayeva and Faiza Mokdar In the final clash of the day, Deguchi faced off against Brazil’s Jessica Lima. The duel went into overtime, with both finalists having received two penalties. The Canadian was the first to go on the offensive and she secured the win. This is her second Gran ..read more

Montréal, March 28, 2024 (Judo Canada) – Black belt or no black belt, Ruth Lam will not be held back from furthering the development of judo in Canada, just as she’s done for more than twenty years. In 2022, Lam became the first woman without a black belt in judo to sit on Judo Canada’s board of directors. She was quick to acknowledge the honour, and was keen to use her position to help develop the sport on a national level. The skills she possesses outside the tatamis enabled her to become more involved, much to her delight. Ruth Lam “To be honest, I didn’t think I would be given the positio ..read more

Credit: Tamara Kulumbegashvili Shady ElNahas (on the left) Montréal, March 24, 2024 – Shady ElNahas secured his first podium finish of 2024 on Sunday, capturing a silver medal at the Tbilisi Grand Slam in the under-100 kg category. Although the defeat was hard for him to swallow, it in no way represented the Canadian’s overall performance on the tatamis in Georgia this weekend. In the big final, ElNahas refused to be daunted by the fact that his opponent, Nikoloz Sherazadishvili, had defeated him three times in their last three match-ups. He kept moving throughout the bout, launching several ..read more

Montréal, March 23, 2024 – Catherine Beauchemin-Pinard was unstoppable on Saturday at the Tbilisi Grand Slam, putting in a perfect day to claim the top spot on the podium. This important win aligns perfectly with her preparations for the Paris Olympic Games. Photo: Tamara Kulumbegashvili Joanne Van Lieshout, Catherine Beauchemin-Pinard, Angelika Szymanska and Kim Jisu. The top-ranked judoka in the world in the under-63 kg weight category wrapped up the tournament with a victory by waza-ari over Angelika Szymanska of Poland, who had defeated Beauchemin-Pinard in the first round of th ..read more

Bronze for Christa Deguchi Montréal, March 22, 2024 – Although Jessica Klimkait fought hard until the very last second of Friday’s under-57 kg big final at the Tbilisi Grand Slam in Georgia, she ultimately had to concede defeat. Photo: IJF / Tamara Kulumbegashvili Jessica Klimkait, Eteri Liparteliani, Christa Deguchi and Rafaela Silva One thing is certain, however: She gave her all on the tatamis today. After winning her first four bouts of the day, two in overtime and two by waza-ari at the end of regulation time, Klimkait faced Eteri Liparteliani of Georgia in the final showdown. Cheered on ..read more

Montréal, March 22, 2024 – In Anne-Laurence Chevalier’s home, there is no lack of judogis in the laundry room. For the ex-Parisian, who is now based in Toronto, a passion for judo runs in the family. In other words, the apple did not fall far from the tree. Anne-Laurence Chevalier Not only is she the child of two judokas who fell in love on the tatamis, but her mother, Monique Thiollet, played a part in the history of women’s judo. In 1974, she became the first woman to win the European Championships. “There weren’t a lot of women in judo back then, but that has changed over time. I coul ..read more

Montréal, March 15, 2024 – In 2020, Amélie Grenier left her native Saguenay and moved to the big city of Montréal to pursue her passion for judo. Four years on, the judoka, who has since returned to her hometown and is more involved in her sport than ever, has no regrets. Photo: Marc-André Primeau Amélie Grenier with her athletes. Unfortunately for Amélie, the pandemic largely affected her stay in Montréal. The disruptions in training schedules hampered her integration into her new region. “Essentially, I wanted to move to Montréal to pursue my dream of competing in the Olympics. At ..read more