Judoka Nicolas Gill finishes 9th at Kano Cup

Nicolas Gill ended his glorious career with a 9th place finish at the Kano Cup Open Tournament in Tokyo on Sunday. In his last competition, won by Japan’s Kosei Inoue, who had beaten Gill in the under-100 kg final at the Sydney Olympics, Montreal’s top judoka finished with a record of two wins and two losses.

Keith Morgan, of Calgary, who was among the 32 invitees, also ranked 9th in this world-class tournament.

«Overall, it was OK, but not overwhelming. It was far from being an easy tournament,» said Gill. «The four bouts were very tough. Honestly, if I had had to go through a fifth bout, I doubt that I could have finished it. Overall, I performed well».

In his first bout, Gill beat Hidekazu Shoda, Japan’s over-100 kg champion, by ippon.

«My second opponent, Germany’s Andreas Tolzer, must have weighed over 300 pounds, was tougher», explained Gill. «At the start, it went well as we were even until the last minute. I was beginning to get tired. I decided to attack but he pinned me and I lost. I was unable to move him», said Gill, unable to suppress a smile.

After this loss, Nicolas hade to face Belarus’ Ihor Makarov, the under-100 kg Olympic champion in Athens. Gill won that bout when his rival was penalized for lack of fighting.

«Makarov was not in great shape. It was our fifth meeting and the third time I had beaten him. I always have fared well against him», said Gill.

Following that win, Nicolas had only about 10 minutes before his bout with Japan’s Yuta Yazaki.

«I never had time to regain my form between those two bouts. With five seconds to go we were even. Then, the referee gave me a dubious penalty for lack of fighting spirit», explained Gill.

When he was asked how he felt before his farewell to competition, Nicolas said that his frame of mind was no different than before.

«For some time, I was thinking that each tournament could be my last. So, this one was no different than the others. I could not prepare any differently for this competition. To be successful at this level, one must be in the right frame of mind. If I had let emotions get in the way, I wouldn’t have be able to perform up to my standards», said Gill, who will now be a fulltime coach.

As for Keith Morgan, he lost his first bout by ippon, as his Japanese opponent Yohei Takai was the heaviest judoka at 140 kg. It was quite a challenge for Morgan who normally competes in the under-90 kg class.

«I gave him a good fight for a while, but at the end he was much to strong for me», explained Morgan, a native Albertan now living in Montreal.

Then, after his next opponent forfeited on account of an injury, Morgan had to face Japan’s Takamasa Anai, the former Under-100 kg world junior champion.

«One has to be objective. I was hoping to win at least one bout, but I was among the lightest judokas and to take part in an open tournament is always a risky proposition. If I had had a better draw, I probably could have won some bouts, but it was out of my control. So, I’m not disappointed. Mostly I’m pleased to have come out of this tournament without being injured», said Morgan.