Montréal, August 25, 2011 – It was Antoine Valois-Fortier and Guillaume Perrault’s turn to hit the tatamis at the Judo World Championships, Thursday, taking place in Paris, France. Thanks to a draw that did them no favors, the two Canadian team rookies were forced to climb a steep hill in the under 81 kg category. 

Competing in his first senior World Championships, Antoine Valois-Fortier, ranked 28^th worldwide, put together a solid performance.  After beating the Cameroonian, Michel Mbassa, by way of ippon in three minutes, Valois-Fortier ran into slightly stiffer competition in the second round: the German and defending Olympic champion, Ole Bischof. 

Valois-Fortier put up a good fight and pushed the bout right to the limit.  Bischof still managed to score two yukos, eventually garnering him the win.  As for the Quebecer, he would go on to finish the tourney in 33^rd position. 

“Considering the circumstances, I didn’t have that bad a day.  I fought as good as expected, if not a bit better.  I proved that I have the ability to go toe to toe with the top judokas,” Valois-Fortier surmised. 

“The fight against the German was really close.  I’m satisfied that I was able to stand tall against him.  It shows how much I’ve improved.  Still, my day ended rather quickly.  These World Championships are extremely tough and it’s not easy to advance far into the table.” 

For his part, Guillaume Perrault, 68^th in the world, advanced into the second round thanks to a bye.  In his first bout he drew the Frenchman, Alain Schmitt, ranked 26^th in the standings.  Though the Quebecer was able to score a yuko just seconds in, the Frenchman quickly recovered, registering an ippon for the victory in the first minute. 

Friday, the Canadians Amy Cotton (-78 kg), Catherine Roberge (-78 kg), Alexandre Émond (-90 kg) and Kelita Zupancic (-70 kg) will all be in action. 

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