Behind the curtain.  

April 27/29, 2012 Montreal– Senior Pan-American Championships: the last qualifying event for the 2012 Olympic Team.  Canadians did very well with a gold medal by Alexandre Emond, four individual silver medals by the men, three individual bronze medals by the women, a silver medal by the Canadian male team, and a bronze medal by the Canadian female team.

This article, however, is not about the athletes. Much has been written about their accomplishments already. 

According to many voiced opinions, we delivered the best-to-date Pan-American Championships, and even if that is not the full truth, we were very close to that acclaim. Montreal was a very good place to organize this event.  First of all, it is a world-renowned city, and people like to travel there.  Second, the reliability and competency of the numerous judoka volunteers, without whom running of such event would be impossible, was amazing. Third, and certainly not least, the availability of various Provincial, Municipal, and City programs allowed for much needed funds to be generated.  Without these sources of revenue, delivery of an event that met the current organizational standards of the International Judo Federation would simply be impossible.  

A number of exceptionally dedicated volunteers worked on this project selflessly for months in advance. They took time-off from their regular jobs to work full-time during the week of the event and put in 18-hour shifts – not once complaining that this was not in their job description! 

Thank you Mr. Gerald Poirier (left) and Mr. Christian Royer (right) – the true hearts of the Organizing Committee. 

Thank you to the President of JudoCanada, Mr. Vincent Grifo, who bid for this event, brought it to Canada and then kept relentless pressure on the organizing committee to ensure that a top quality event was delivered in Montreal. Finally, to Ms. Shu-Tai Cheng, who in the weeks leading up to the Championship, supported the Judo Canada staff almost on a full-time basis, providing legal advice and meticulously sorting and cataloguing incoming information.  Imagine, Shu-Tai, how much more work you would have had, had we actually gotten all the information that we were supposed to get on time!

So, we did it, and we are proud of it, but just as much, we are happy it is over.

Why?  A few less-known details and stories may illustrate this. In retrospect these examples may seem quite funny, but trust me, they were not so at the time of occurrence:

• The deadline for registration, hotel reservations, payments, and so on was on March 29^th – four weeks prior to start of the event.  On that date, we had a completed entry from ONE country!
• Two weeks later, we received entries from approximately 50% of the participants, and such a status quo continued until the last two or three days prior to arrival of the teams.
• Of the anticipated more than $100,000 in participants’ fees, on the day of accreditation – one day before the tournament started, we accumulated only approximately 30% of that sum. The rest was to be collected during the accreditation and after a (mostly difficult) negotiation with regards to the price and conditions.
• We expected the arrival of the teams starting April 24^th, which is standard for international events that do not involve significant time zone travelling.  On April 19^th, we received a telephone call from a team, from which we had not heard anything to date, advising that they were landing in Montreal on April 20^th with a rather large number of athletes.  We had no hotel and no personnel ready to take care of this team.  However, we managed to arrange temporary accommodations and airport pick up. Approximately 30 minutes prior to the announced arrival time, we were informed by another call that they would not arrive on that day.  They finally arrived two days later.
• On April 24^th, we had scheduled the setup of the venue. This included a specific setup order of carpet and drapes delivered by a contractor fromOttawa; stages, tables, decorative plants, and so on delivered by City of Montreal; technology support, lights, the sound system, cameras, and so on delivered by two professional crews from Montreal.  Well, the carpet, which needed to be installed first, was delayed at a highway weigh-in station, which prompted the City of Montreal crew (8 to 10 people) to offload their three truckloads of heavy equipment in the centre of the arena and … just leave it there … Their workday was over.  Fortunately, we had THREE professional coaches, in very good physical shape, present at the venue to provide expertise, advice, and help.  They ended up assembling the entire venue!  It took them close to 16 hours to “fix the problem”, but they did it!   

Thank you to all once again!

Andrzej Sadej

Guillaume Perrault made a big impression in the under 90 kg class.  The Quebecer beat Americans Bryan Acosta and Andrew Hung, as well as his own teammate Valadymyr Semyrozum to reach the final.  He came away victorious in the gold medal match, defeating the American Kensuke Moriyama for the title.

“Guillaume hasn’t been competing in this division for very long, and now he’s had two days in a row of really good results.  I think he’s starting to get a lay of the land and gain a lot of confidence at the same time.  He can see that he has what it takes to beat the top tier judokas in this class,” coach Marie-Hélène Chisholm indicated.

Tony Walby (+ 100 kg) also climbed to the top of the podium in his category. Two wins, one against the Mexican Juan Villalobos and the other versus the Puerto Rican Rafael Ferrer, were enough to claim the gold medal.

Patrick Gagné (-66 kg), Justin Fumiya Imagawa (-73 kg), Louis Krieber-Gagnon (-81) kg and Valadymyr Semyrozum (-90 kg) all did well in their respective divisions, each winning a bronze medal.

“Louis’s performance is particularly remarkable.  He’s still just a cadet, and it’s quite rare for someone his age to perform that well against senior judokas.  He’s just 16 years old.  It’s a really big surprise for us today,” Chisholm explained.

Étienne Briand (-73 kg) won three of his five bouts to finish the competition in fifth place. Dilyaver Sheykhislyamov (-90 kg) and Nedjo Sarenac (-100 kg) also went home with fifth place finishes in their respective categories.

Patrick Cantin (- 66 kg) and Arthur Margelidon (-73 kg) each finished with a record of two wins and two losses, good enough for 7^th place classifications.

Also in action, Antoine Bouchard (-66 kg), Scott McGrandle (-81 kg), and Emin Sheykhislyamov (-90 kg) were unable to come away with classifications.

The women’s team impresses as well

On the women’s side, Ana Laura Portuondo-Isasi was an impenetrable force in the under 78 kg class.  The Canadian won both her bouts by ippon versus the American Suzie Rizek as well as her own teammate, Bishop Sommerfield, to win the gold medal.  Despite the loss, Sommerfield would leave Miami with a medal of her won, that of the silver variety.

“Ana Laura is very young. She’s still just a cadet.  Despite the fact that there are only three in her class, she still had to show that she was the best, and she did just that, easily winning her bouts.  It’s a very good result for her,” Chisholm confirmed.

Elsewhere, Whitney Lohnes (-48 kg), Nicole Jenicek (-57 kg), Catherine Beauchemin-Pinard (-63 kg) and Alix Renaud-Roy (-70 kg) all put together solid performances, each garnering themselves bronze medals.

“Catherine, who’s also a junior judoka, was in a fairly competitive division. It was a very good result she was able to obtain today,” Chisholm noted.

As for, Andréa Magnett (-52 kg), Stéfanie Tremblay (-63 kg), and Megan Nagy (-63 kg), each finished their competition in 5^th place, all three posting records of two wins and two losses in their respective categories.

Also in action, Audrée Françis-Méthot (-52 kg), Ecaterina Guica (-57 kg), Lisa Nakajima (-63 kg), Élodie Lavoie (-63 kg), Sarah Myriam Mazouz (-70 kg) and Yacinta Nguyen-Huu (-70 kg) were unable to receive classifications.

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Equipped with a pass beyond the first round, Alix Renaud-Roy began today in round two of the Under 70kg class, and made quick work of American Samantha Bleier.  However the Quebec native was tripped up in the semi-final by Cuba’s Onix Cortes Aldama.  “Though Alix lost, it was a very tight match right up until the end, and the bout was decided on penalties,” analyzed coach Marie-Hélène Chisholm.

Relegated to the bronze medal round, the 19 year-old went on to battle and surpass fellow Quebecoise Sarah-Myriam Mazouz, and scored a spot on the podium plus a bronze medal for her efforts.  “Alix has made a lot of progress this year.  She is technically still a ‘junior’ athlete, but she’s able to compete with senior-level judokas.  She definitely had a solid day today,” added a contented Chisholm.

Ending the competition in fifth place, Sarah-Myriam Mazouz’s day saw her bested by Kathleen Sell in the second round.  The Canadian then rallied back in overtime to defeat Argentina’s Noelia Ponce, prior to facing compatriot Renaud-Roy.

Also on the tatami in the Under 70 kg, Yacinta Nguyen-Huu ended her day in seventh place.  In the second round against Cuban Onix Cortes Aldama, Nguyen-Huu was on the losing end; in the second overtime Nguyen-Huu was then bettered by Samantha Bleier.

Portuondo-Isasi Surprises!

The Under 78 kg category saw two bronze medal wins, courtesy of Quebec’s Ana Laura Portuondo-Isasi and Saskatchewan’s Bishop Sommerfeld.

Portuondo-Isasi and Sommerfled began their day with a bout against each other.  The match was won by Portuondo-Isasi, who then moved on to battle American Suzanne Rizek, but was subsequently halted by American judoka Kayla Harrisson and then Cuba’s Yalennis Castillo.  A record of two wins and two losses permitted the 16 year-old to earn the Quebec native a spot on the podium for the bronze.  “Ana Laura is the youngest competitor on the team, but despite her youth she continues to deliver surprises and has a great attitude. Today, she certainly demonstrated that with her medal win,” praised Marie-Hélène Chisholm.

After her defeat against Portuondo-Isasi, Sommerfeld lost her stride with further defeats at the hands of Yalennis Castillo and Kayla Harrisson, but then charged ahead to a win against Suzanne Rizek – enough to enable the Canadian to also step onto the podium for a bronze.  

A First For Perrault

On the tatami in the Under 90 kg category, in the first round Guillaume Perrault defeated Armenia’s Hovhannes Zakyan, then took on and beat American Jacob Larsen. The Quebec native saw his only defeat when matched with Cuba’s Asley Gonzalez in the semi-final, where the latter won by ippon.  Perrault came back from the loss and bested Serbia’s Dmitri Gerasimenko in the bronze medal round.  “Guillaume is still growing into this weight category, and yet today he won his first World Cup medal!  I think today’s performances will certainly give him confidence in upcoming competitions; today was overall very positive,” explained coach Chisholm.

Also in action in the Under 90 kg category, Quebec brothers Emin Sheykhislyamov and Dilyaver Sheykhislyamov were both eliminated in the first round.  Emin lost his first bout to American Andrew Hung, while Dilyaver saw his day come to an end at the hands of Russia’s Sergey Kozel.

Nedjo Sarenac – a competitor in the Under 100 kg category – finished seventh overall.  With a pass into the second round, Sarenac was outmatched by American Ajax Tadehara. In the first round of overtime, the Ontario native was again halted, this time by American Armen Babayan.

British Columbia’s Scott McGrandle, (Under 81 kg) was sadly shown the proverbial door during the first round, bested by Sweden’s Emil Edmar.

Canada’s judokas will return to the tatami on Saturday at the US Judo Open.

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Written by Sportcom for Judo Canada

Competing in the Under 73 kg class, Quebec-native Briand make short work of Argentina’s Alejandro Clara and then American Matthew Parker, earning a spot in the semi-final round where he was matched with fellow Canadian Justin Fumiya Imagawa. Briand bested Imagawa and earned his berth in the final round against Cuba’s Ronald Girones. Girones put a stop to the Canadian’s progress with an ippon – leaving Briand with a silver medal. 

“During the last six competitions, Étienne has been performing very well, which is a very positive sign,” commented coach Marie-Hélène Chisholm, most of all pleased with Briand’s win against the Argentian judoka in the first round. “He [Alejandro Clara] finished third at the PanAmerican Championships, so it’s a wonderful victory for Étienne.”

Still in the same weight class, Arthur Margelidon and Justin Fumiya Imagawa shared third place and bronze medals.  Unbeaten in previous matches Thursday, Imagawa faced Étienne Briand who temporarily halted the former’s progress with an ippon.  Imagawa was then able to earn some hardware with a win against American judoka Joseph Hasimoto in the bronze medal round. 

Margelidon also earned two victories before Cuba’s Ronald Girones got in his way.  Following Imagawa’s lead, Margelidon won when matched against American Adam Moyerman and thus earned the Canadian a bronze medal.   “Justin and Arthur both had great days today, they both won their first World Cup medals!” enthused Chisholm. 

In the Under 66 kg class, Patrick Gagné finished fifth, defeated by Mexico’s Castillo Naborn in the bronze medal round.  Gagné nevertheless scored two wins in the main tableau prior to being out-matched in the semi-final.   

Also on the tatami in the same category, Antoine Bouchard was eliminated in the first round, courtesy of American judoka Bradford Bolen.

Audrée Francis-Méthot Earns Bronze

In women’s competitions, Audrée Francis-Méthot thrilled with a bronze medal in the Under 52 kg category.

Able to pass through the first round, the Quebec native first bettered Mexico’s Monica Hernandez; Cuba’s Bermoy Acosta was next on the list, and stopped Francis-Méthot in her tracks in the semi-final.  At 19 years old, Francis-Méthot rallied back in her bout facing Ontario’s Andrea Madgett, beating the latter with an ippon to step onto the third place on the podium.

“Audrée showed a great deal of potential today (Thursday); this is also her first World Cup medal win,” stated a pleased Marie-Hélène Chisholm.

Prior to her match with a fellow Canadian, Andrea Madgett was bested in the second round by American Angelica Delgado.  The story was different in Madgett’s first round in overtime as she beat American Mirelle Graves.  At the end of the day, Madgett was ranked fifth.

Nova Scotia’s Whitney Lohnes also finished fifth, competing in the Under 48 kg, where she battled American judoka Taylor Ibera, prior to admitting defeat to Argentina’s Paula Pareto. In overtime, Lohnes then saw another loss to Chile’s Antonieta Galleguillos in the bronze medal round. 

In the Under 57 kg class, Ontario’s Nicole Jenicek took fifth place after a tough battle against Mexico’s Leon Ana.  Jenicek began her day meeting Cuba’s Yurileidys Lupetey Cobas on the tatami, where the latter won.  The Canadian then began her return in the overtime rounds, where she won against Hungary’s Cergia David, and then was tested by Leon Ana for third place.

Competing in the same weight category, Quebec’s Ecaterina Guica was sadly off the tatami in her first round.  

In the Under 63 kg category, Stéfanie Tremblay also finished in fifth place.  Though defeated by Austria’s Kathrin Unterwurzacher, the Quebecois athlete hit her stride in overtime, winning against Catherine Beauchemin-Pinard. In the bronze medal round Tremblay was bested by Brazil’s Katherine Campos.

Catherine Beauchemin-Pinard and Lisa Nakjima were unable to achieve to wins today.

The Miami World Cup continues through Friday, in sunny Miami, Florida U.S.A.

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Written by Sportcom for Judo Canada

By finishing in the top-2, the Canadian men’s national team qualified for the World Team Championships, an event to be presented one year from now in Brazil.

“Judo Canada might not send a team down, but if they decide to, it’s nice to know we got the job done,” Guillaume Perreault explained.

Perreault had to fight in the +90 kg class, despite normally competing in the under 90 kg category. “Nicolas (Gill), coach of the national team, wanted to make sure I saw some action. I really enjoyed the experience. Judo is an individual sport, so to know that you can still win even if you lose your bout, that takes a lot of the pressure off.”

Perreault, Michael Fortin-Demers (-66 kg), Dylaver Sheykhislyamov (-90 kg), Justin Imagawa (-73 kg), Kalem Kachur (-81 kg) et Nedjo Sarenac (+90 kg) united forces to defeat the Dominican Republic, Chile and Mexico. Only the Cuban national squad were able to get the better of the Canadians.

Ladies squad finishes in third

On the women’s side, the Canadians were unable to qualify for next year’s World Team Championships, but nonetheless put on a good show in winning the bronze medal.

Audrée Francis-Méthot (-52 kg), Nicole Jenicek (-57 kg), Catherine Beauchemin-Pinard (-63 kg), Alix Renaud-Roy (-70 kg), Yacinthan Nguyen-Huu (-70 kg) et Sophie Vaillancourt (+78 kg) beat the Mexicans, but subsequently fell to the gold medal winning Cubans and Colombians.

The highlight of the fights was without a doubt the victory by Beauchemin-Pinard over the Cuban Yaritza Abel Rojas, who won the individual competition on Friday, and presently sits 14^th in the overall standings.

“Unlike other nations, we decided to go with a younger contingent of judokas instead of our first choice veterans, Gill indicated. It was a way of giving our young up-and-comers some much needed experience, especially since they’ll all be a big part of the Olympic qualification process in 2016.”

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Written by Sportcom for Judo Canada

Mehmedovic qualified for the semifinals thanks to victories over the American Bradford Bolen and the Chilean Alejandro Zuniga.  Up next against the Venezuelan Valderrama Ricardo, Mehmedovic was able to squeeze out a win by yuko, in what was a hotly contested bout. In the final it was the Brazilian Leandro Cunha, two-time vice-champion of the world and currently ranked 6^th overall, who would get the better of the Quebecois, winning the gold with a yuko.

“It’s tough to come from behind against this type of athlete, Mehmedovic explained. But overall, I was really happy with how things turned out. This was the last competition in the Olympic selection process, and I still needed to compile points to assure my qualification. I was pretty nervous this morning, but in the end things went my way.  It was my day,” Mehmedovic asserted.

In the under 57 kg division, Joliane Melançon was in tough, needing nothing less than Pan-American gold to qualify for the Olympics. Things started well for the Quebecoise, with decisive victories over the Haitian Ange Mercie Jean Baptiste and the Honduran Cergia David.  Her semifinal match found her face to face with a much stronger opponent, however, as she took on the 4^th ranked judoka in the world, Brazilian Rafaela Silva.  The Brazilian would prove too much to handle, winning the bout with an ippon throw at the halfway mark.

“She’s an exceptional athlete that I’ve never managed to beat. I might have had a better chance in the fight had I somehow got on her on the ground,” said Melançon, who would go on to end her day on a positive note with a bronze medal. She easily beat the Mexican Ana Leon, taking her down to ground for an ippon within the first minute.

“It was a nice way to finish my day,” the Quebecer attested, composed despite the disappointment of missing out on the London Games.  I’m disappointed but at the same time, I have nothing to be ashamed of. I got better and better from one competition to the next. I have peace of mind, and am looking forward to getting back to work for the next run of Olympic qualifying.”

Sergio Pessoa Jr. wins silver

Sergio Pessoa Jr., the Quebecois judoka who’s has already qualified for the London Games, won the silver medal in the under 60 kg class.

He started off his day with a win over the Venezuelan Javier Guedez before making quick work of the Surinamese Yigal Kopinsky, winning the fight with an ippon just seconds in.  In the semifinals against the Mexican Castillo Nabor, Pessoa Jr. was able to score an ippon in the final seconds to come away with the win.  Things went less well for the Quebecer in the final, however, where he lost to the Brazilian Felipe Kitadai (15^th in the world) by ippon.

“I was winning the bout by a shido and probably should have been more defensive.  Technically I was having a good fight and decided to try some different things.  I made a mistake, and mistakes against an athlete like him you simply can’t get away with,” Pessoa Jr. elaborated.  The Quebecer had won his previous bout versus Kitadai.  “That said, it was the best time to try out new things with the Olympics right around the corner.”

In the under 55 kg category, a non-Olympic division, the Quebecois Mahdi Zeghir was beaten in the final by ippon against the Ecuadorian Cristhian Toala.

Elsewhere, Isabel Latulippe (-48 kg), Laurie Wiltshire (-52 kg) and Justin Imagwa (-73 kg) all finished 7^th in their respective categories.

 The Canadian judokas will be back in action, Sunday, for the team competition.

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Written by Sportcom for Judo Canada

 After defeating the American Kathleen Sell in her first bout, Zupancic lost by yuko in the semifinals to the Cuban Onix Cortez Aldama, the 11^th ranked judoka.  She took charge in her bronze medal fight, however, versus the Ecuadorian Vanessa Chala.  Thanks to a stranglehold on the tatamis, her opponent was forced to concede, giving Zupancic the bronze medal victory half way through the bout.

 “It’s my go-to maneuver.  It was my plan to take her to ground,” explained Zupancic, visibly relieved after a long and arduous day of competition. “I was really stressed out. I knew that every one of my bouts would have a direct effect on my Olympic qualification. It was an emotionally draining day.”

 Alexandre Émond captures the title

 Among the judokas on the Canadian team, many are already mathematically assured of obtaining their automatic qualification for the London Games.  Such is the case for Sergio Pessoa jr (- 60 kg), Nicholas Tritton (- 73 kg), Amy Cotton (- 78 kg), Antoine Valois-Fortier (- 81 kg) and Alexandre Émond (- 90 kg). The latter three were in competition today at McConnell Arena.

 Alexandre Émond dominated in the under 90 kg category. After obtaining a bye through the first round, the Quebecer took out in successive bouts the Chilean Thomas Briceno and Uruguayan Juan Romero with ippons. The final was less decisive, taking an overtime period to decide the champion.  In the end Émond was able to overcome the Cuban Asley Gonzalez, beating the 6^th ranked judoka (3^rd at the last World Championships) with a yuko.

“The crowd really helped me out,” Émond said, who was making a return to competition after a five-month layoff. “I had suffered from concussion-like symptoms at the end of last year. Since I had already qualified for the Olympics at that point, I decided not to take any further risks, cancelling all my competitions and training camps.  With the London Games in sight, today was a good test for me.  I wanted to find out how I measured up against the other judokas.  Turns out I’m looking pretty good!” Explained Émond, who won his second Pan-American title.

 Valois-Fortier swoops in for silver

 Antoine Valois-Fortier also had an excellent competition in the under 81 kg division. He began his day with a win over the Mexican German Ayala followed by a victory against the Salvadorian Juan Diego Turcios with an ippon.  In the semifinals against the Argentine Emmanuel Lucenti, the Quebecer took over the fight, winning with a waza-ari and two yukos. In the final, he put up a good fight against the Brazilian Leandro Guilheiro, no.1 ranked judoka in the world, but would eventually fall by way of a yuko.

“Of the three times I’ve faced him, this was easily my best effort, Valois-Fortier noted. That said, he still controlled the tempo of the fight. In order to beat him one day, I need to work on my footwork and ameliorate my kumikata.”

As for Amy Cotton, she won a bronze medal in the under 78 kg class.  After beating the Guatemalan Mirla Nolberto Labriel, she lost in the semifinals to the Brazilian Mayra Aguiar. Cotton would come out on top in the bronze medal match, defeating the Ecuadorian Diana Chala with a yuko.

Elsewhere, Stéphanie Tremblay was in action in the under 63 kg category.  After starting things off with a victory over the American Christal Ransom, she fell to the 14^th ranked judoka, Cuban Yaritza Abel Rojas, in the semifinals.  In the bronze medal final she would come up short again, this time to the Puerto Rican Jessica Garcia.

Finally, Ontarian Nedjo Sarenac (-100 kg) won his first fight with an ippon against the Mexican Julian Gutierrez before succumbing at the hands of Cuban judoka Oreydi Despaigne.  His day would come to an end in the L bracket, losing to the Chilean Italo Cordova.

Saturday, Sasha Mehmedovic will attempt to guarantee his direct qualification into the London Games in the under 66 kg class. Joliane Melançon will have the same scenario in the under 57 kg division.  Sergio Pessoa Jr. and Justin Imagwa will also be in action.

Written by Sportcom for Judo Canada

Briand won his first bout prior to folding to Russia’s Abri Khamkhoev, one of two eventual bronze medallists.  In overtime, Briand scored two other victories, then was bested by Russian judoka Gabasov Imranbek – the other bronze medallist.

In the same category, Quebec’s Arthur Margelidon won his first match, but was beaten in the next match, while Ontario’s John Alex Nagy was eliminated in his first round.

Écaterina Guica, competing in the Under 57 kg class, won her first bout on the tatami before Germany’s Rebecca Braeuninger got the better of her – the latter would go on to finish fifth overall. 

In the Under 81 kg category, Zachary Burt had a triumphant first round, but saw his progress come to an end against the Ukraine’s Yuriy Pozhar who finished seventh overall.

Quebec’s Nicolas Di Bartolo, competing in the Under 60kg class, lost his first match in the main tableau against one of two other bronze medal winners; he was unable to access matches in overtime. 

Quebec native Élodie Lavoie and Ontario’s Monika Burgess were both bested in their first rounds in the Under 63 kg; Lavoie was able to compete in overtime matches but was unable to access additional rounds.

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Written by Sportcom for JudoCanada

On May 1^st, men ranked in the top-22, and women ranked in the top-14 in international classifications will automatically qualify for the London 2012 Olympic Games; a single judoka is permitted to represent their country in each of the weight categories.

Among Canadian judokas, Sergio Pessoa Jr (Under 60 kg), Nicholas Tritton (Under 73 kg), Amy Cotton (Under 78 kg), Antoine Valois-Fortier (Under 81 kg) and Alexandre Émond (Under 90 kg) are all ensured an Olympic berth due to accumulated points.  As Tritton is presently injured, he will be replaced by Justin Imagawa in Montreal. 

Joliane Melançon (Under 57 kg), Sasha Mehmedovic (Under 66 kg) and Kelita Zupancic (Under 70 kg) may also blaze a trail to the Olympic Games with direct or continental qualifications. 

All told, 13 men’s spots and 8 women’s spots will be up for grabs by non-qualified athletes in the Americas when the competition takes place from April 27 to 29 at McGill University.  

Judo Canada and its financial partners have supported close to 20 judokas throughout the qualification process; those who earn an Olympic berth will realize a goal that has required close to two years of sustained effort and participation in competitions held across the globe.

“It’s a completley different qualification system; it should enable us to send more athletes to the Olympics, but it’s also more time consuming and demanding,” explained Nicolas Gill, Head Coach of Team Canada, who is himself completing a second Olympic coaching cycle.  “The process is filled with highs and lows.  Antoine Valois-Fortier is a great example of that – he wasn’t really in the picture at the beginning, unlike someone like Scott Edward, but Edward had to retire from competition due to serious knee injury.”

Ever-present in a sport such as judo, injuries can lay waste to the best laid plans because the selection process demands consistency in athletic performance. However despite the pressures and requirements, many athletes have been able to achieve their best.

“Sergio Pessoa Jr. was injured for a good part of the year, but he was able to perform very well when he was healthy.  He was able to earn good results between injuries and earn points towards qualification,” commented Coach Gill.  “Staying healthy and injury-free throughout the entire qualification process does takes some luck, though.”

Even if the last two years have been trying from many points of view, Nicolas Gill brings a healthy perspective to the upcoming qualifications.  “It’s natural that judokas who qualify would have a feeling of accomplishment, and breathe a sigh of relief.  But, to be ready for the Games, the really hard work starts now; the next few weeks will be key for our athletes.”

Gill, a two-time Olympic medallist himself, is pleased with what he sees in this cycle’s crop of Olympics-aspiring judokas, even as the final stages of preparation for the London 2012 Olympic Games are fast coming to their conclusion.

“Over the past few years, the objective was to enlarge the athlete pool.  With the arderous qualification process that we have, it would have be easy to loose sight of the long term.  Many of our judokas at the London 2012 Olympic Games will continue on to the next Olympic Games, so the challenge has been to prepare for these Games, as well as the Games that follow them.  We’re really working on two things: our current team and the next generation, because Team Canada for Rio 2016 is being shaped now.”

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Canadians in action on the tatami at the Judo PanAmerican Championships:

Women
Under 48kg, Isabel Latulippe
Under 52kg, Laurie Wiltshire
Under 57kg, Joliane Melancon
Under 63kg, Stéfanie Tremblay
Under 70kg, Kelita Zupancic
Under 78kg, Amy Cotton

Men
Under 55kg, Mahdi Zegir
Under 60kg, Sergio Pessoa
Under 66kg, Sasha Mehmedovic
Under 73kg, Justin Imagawa
Under 81kg, Antoine Valois-Fortier
Under 90kg, Alexandre Émond
Under 100kg, Nedjo Sarenac

Coaches
Nicolas Gill
Sergio Pessoa Sr.
Marie-Hélène Chisholm

Written by Sportcom

Briand and Margelidon, both from Quebec, followed the same path in the Under 73kg category, each winning three of five bouts. Both Canadian judokas earned a pass into the first round, and won their first matches on the tatami, then lost their second matches in the main tableau – against eventual medal winners. Briand and Margelidon then scored two victories in overtime, but were then bested by Serbian athletes.

“It was a pretty good day for Étienne and Arthur,” commented Canadian Coach Marie-Hélène Chisholm. “Even though technically they’re in the junior category, they beat senior-level athletes this weekend; that’s a fantastic experience for them.”

Alix Renaud-Roy was able to benefit from a forfeit from her main opponent in the Under 70kg class, but was then outdone by the judoka who would go on the win the gold medal. Yet Renaud-Roy bounced back in overtime to defeat a competitor from Montenegro. A Croatian judoka – who later earned a bronze medal – put an end to Renaud-Roy podium hustle and day on the tatami.

Catherine Beauchemin-Pinard, Audrée Francis Méthot and Nicolas Di Bartolo, all from Quebec, had a tougher time at the event, and were unable to earn a ranking.

Competing in the Under 63 kg category, Beauchemin-Pinard was exempt from the first round. She then won her first bout, but was bested in her following two matches by eventual medallists.

In the Under 52 kg class, Francis Méthot also won her first bout, but was then eliminated.

Di Bartolo, who competes in the Under 60 kg, was unlucky from the start, losing his first round against an adversary that would later take home the bronze medal.

Canadian judokas now await the PanAmerican Championships, which will take place in Montreal from April 27 to 29 – the next event on schedule.

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Written by Sportcom for Judo Canada