Highly Anticipated Championships for Canadian Seniors

This weekend, Canada’s senior judokas will strive to emulate their cadet and junior counterparts, who captured a host of medals on the opening weekend of the PanAmerican-Oceania Championships in Calgary. Starting Friday at the WinSport Complex, Canada will be represented by eighteen senior-level athletes aiming to clinch the titles in their respective categories.

On the first weekend of competition, Canada earned a total of 21 medals, including seven gold. Leanna Au and Yehor Paladii claimed the titles at the cadet level, while Charlize-Isabelle Medillo, Evelyn Beaton, Laurence Biron, Jumber Meladze and John Jr Messe A Bessong did the same in the junior category.

Beaton and Biron will attempt to repeat the feat on Friday, as they will also be competing at the senior level.

“Our Canadians are ready, and we hope to see many spectators cheering them on, here on home turf! The organizing committee did a remarkable job, and the site looks fantastic. Everything is in place to make it a historic Olympic qualification event,” said Nicolas Gill, CEO and High Performance Director of Judo Canada.

During the tournament, which is an important qualification event for the Paris Olympic Games in July 2024, the eighteen senior athletes will be coached by Janusz Pawlowski, Antoine Valois-Fortier and Sasha Mehmedovic.

The Canadian delegation will be led by Olympic medallist Jessica Klimkait, Olympians Arthur Margelidon, Antoine Bouchard, Kyle Reyes and Shady ElNahas, and reigning under-57 kg world champion Christa Deguchi.

Women – Senior

U48kg Kimiko Kamstra

U52kg Kelly Deguchi

U52kg Evelyn Beaton

U57kg Christa Deguchi

U57kg Jessica Klimkait

U63kg Isabelle Harris

U70kg Alexandria Lefort

U70kg Laurence Biron

U78kg Coralie Godbout

 Men – Senior

U66kg Julien Frascadore

U73kg Arthur Margelidon

U73kg Antoine Bouchard

U81kg François Gauthier-Drapeau

U90kg Louis Krieber-Gagnon

U90kg Alexandre Arencibia

U100kg Kyle Reyes

U100kg Shady El Nahas

+100kg Marc Deschênes