Christa Deguchi at the start of the Olympic Qualification in Hohhot

The opening of qualification for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics is a date that all international judoka have marked off on their calendars and Christa Deguchi has a greater sense of the anticipation and build-up for the next Olympiad by being based in Japan.

“Japan is the home of judo and this is a very exciting and special time! Everyone in Japan is starting to get Olympic fever and I think preparations for the event are going well.”  

Deguchi has come into the Canadian team at a time when they have a major presence on the IJF World Judo Tour and are enjoying widespread success. “They are a strong team and getting stronger with every tournament leading up to Tokyo 2020. There are a lot of possibilities for them to medal at the next Olympics and I am excited to be a part of it all!”  

When asked about her main rivals in the -57kg category, Deguchi has an ominous answer that shows her desire.    

“Everyone! The -57kg category is such a strong field that everyone is a potential rival. There are no weak judoka in this category and that is why I have to work twice as hard to make sure I am able to compete with these other judoka.  

“My focus right now is to train, compete in and medal in as many competitions as possible in the run up to Tokyo 2020. Of course the ultimate goal is an Olympic gold medal.  

“I owe a lot to my coaches and family! Without their knowledge, advice, love and support I would not be the judoka that I am today. I want to thank them all by winning an Olympic gold!”  

Deguchi is part of bumper entry for the Hohhot Grand Prix and outlined her ambitions for the second edition of Inner Mongolia’s three-day event.

“While a gold would be nice, I am not going to think about it too much and keep focused on the overall plan to get to Tokyo 2020. I’m going to keep training and competing to the best of my ability as each competition comes up. It’s going to be a tough road but I have the opportunity and I can do it.” 

Deguchi, who will be part of a 12-strong Canadian team fighting at the Hohhot Grand Prix – the first Tokyo 2020 Olympic qualification event – will be expected to make her World Championships debut in September in Baku, Azerbaijan and to feature in the mixed team event which debuted last year.    “I think the mixed team event is a great idea,” said Deguchi.   

“In Japan we had mixed team events in elementary school and then women’s team events through junior high school, senior high school and University. I am very familiar with team fighting. So it will be really exciting to fight in this type of mixed team contest again. I think Canada has a good chance of getting on the podium in Baku!”

Deguchi is driven by individual success but the frankness and clarity with which she speaks gives about the teams performance gives a clear indication of what it means to her to be part of the Canadian team and that there are team goals that she aspires to play a part in.

Read her full interview here.