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Judo Canada is the national sport governing body for the sport of judo in Canada and has overall authority to provide leadership in promotion and development as well as govern all aspects of Judo in Canada and to select and prepare Canadian teams for international
OUR VIDEOS
YOUR TEAM
Jessica Klimkait
Date of birth: December 31, 1996
Weight division: 57 kg Height: 5’4”
Hometown: Whitby, Ontario
Residence: Montreal, Quebec
Judo Club: Ajax Budokan Judo Club
Personal Coach: Kevin Doherty
Training place: Judo Canada National Training Centre – INS-Québec
National Team Coach: Janusz Pawłowski
HIGHLIGHTS
- 2023 – IJF World Masters Champion
- 2022, 2023 – World Championships – Bronze medallist
- 2021 – Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games – Bronze medallist
- 2021 – World Champion
- 6 Times Grand Slam Gold medallist
- 2017 – Pan-American Champion
- 2013 – Cadet World Champion (52 kg)
Born in Whitby, Ontario, she started practising Judo after seeing her father, himself a judoka, in action. She comes from the renowned Ajax Budokan Club under the leadership of Kevin Doherty. She continued her development at the Toronto Regional Training Centre created in 2012 under the supervision of Pedro Guedes, then Provincial Coach. In 2013, at the U18 World Championships in Miami, she became the first Canadian ever to win the title of World Champion. In October 2016, she moved to Montreal to continue her training at the National Training Centre. In 2017 she won her first medal at a Grand Slam, finishing 3rd in Ekaterinburg, and continued to attain success internationally. In 2018, she won three medals at Grand Prix and became the first Canadian in history to win the prestigious Osaka Grand Slam. She also won the bronze medal at the IJF World Masters (invitation only tournament). In 2019 and 2020 Jessica continued her remarkable ascent on the international scene. 2021 was her best year yet, she became World Champion and Olympic bronze medallist. The following year Jessica she added another medal to her record, she digs deep to clinch a tough Bronze Medal Final at the 2022 World Championships. Her ultimate goal is to become Olympic Champion.
Catherine Beauchemin-Pinard
Date of birth: June 26, 1994
Weight division: 63 kg – Height: 161 cm
Hometown: Saint-Hubert, Québec
Residence: Beloeil, Quebec
Judo Club: Club de Judo de Saint-Hubert inc. – Province: Quebec
Training place: Judo Canada National Training Centre in Montreal
National Team Coach : Antoine Valois-Fortier
HIGHLIGHTS
- 2022 World Champion Runner-Up
- Bronze Medallist at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games
- 5-time Grand Slam Gold Medallist on the IJF World Tour
- 2-time Pan-American Champion
- 2019
- 2020
- 2-time Junior World Championship Medallist
- Silver (2013)
- Bronze (2014)
When Catherine Beauchemin-Pinard was a child, her sister played soccer and her brother practiced a martial art, but Catherine decided she wished to find her own sport. One day at school, she read an article about Nicolas Gill and his love of judo. That was all it took for her to determine that she had found what she was looking for. And so, at the age of nine, she began her life on the tatamis.
She initially drew inspiration from Isabel Latulippe, an athlete at her club, and from the Olympic performances of Nicolas Gill, Marie-Hélène Chisholm, and Antoine Valois-Fortier. Catherine’s junior record includes a silver medal at the 2013 World Junior Championships, followed by a bronze medal in 2014, making her the first female Canadian to have won two medals at the World Juniors.
In the summer of 2014, she won gold medals in three consecutive competitions: the Pan-American Open in San Salvador, the Grand Prix in Mongolia, and the Grand Slam in Russia. One year later, the Québécoise finished fifth at the World Championships.
Catherine then qualified for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, after her excellent results had placed her in the top eight in the world in the preceding months.
Following the 2017 World Championships, Catherine changed weight classes. She has been competing in the under-63 kg category ever since, where she has been equally successful.
Catherine clinched the title of Pan-American champion in both 2019 and 2020. The best results of her career followed: A superb bronze medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games and, in 2022, runner-up world champion in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
Catherine has collected a total of five Grand Slam gold medals in her career. In addition, she published her book Nourrir son corps, just weeks before the start of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
For the entire list of Catherine’s results, please consult her JudoInside page
Kyle Reyes
Date of birth: October 10, 1993
Weight division: 100 kg
Height: 183 cm
Hometown: Brampton, Ontario
Residence: Tokyo, Japan
First Judo Club: Gunma Chuohchu (Japan)
Training place: Japan Racing Association
Personal coach: Masahiro Goto
National Team Coach : Antoine Valois-Fortier
HIGHLIGHTS
- 2022 – Runner-up World Champion
- 2021 – Pan American Champion
- 2016 – Paris Grand Slam – Silver medallist
- 2014 – Tyumen Grand Slam – Silver medallist
- 2013 – Tokyo Grand Slam – Silver medallist
- 2013 – Junior World Champion
Born in Brampton, Ontario but has lived in Japan since he was 2 years old. Kyle started practising judo in high school, at the age of 12. Quickly found that he was a natural, and that he loved the feeling of throwing his opponents to the ground. His progress has been stellar since. He placed fifth in the 2012 Tokyo Grand Slam at 19-year-old. Became Junior World Champion in the under 100 kg category in Ljubljana, Slovenia, in 2013. He reached his first major international achievement at senior level: a silver medal at the Tokyo Grand Slam. The following year brought him another silver medal, this time in Tyumen, Russia. In 2016, he climbed again the second step of the podium this time at the prestigious Paris Grand Slam and qualified for his first Olympic Games in Rio. On October 11, 2022, Kyle experienced one of the best days of his judo career at the Judo World Championships in Tashkent. The 29-year-old judoka was untouchable right through to the grand final, where he was finally bested by local hero Muzaffarbek Turoboyev. Reyes therefore departs Uzbekistan with the title of runner-up world champion. Lives in Tokyo, Japan, and trains under coach Masahiro Goto at the Japan Racing Association. His greatest dream is to win an Olympic gold.
For the entire list of Kyle’s results, please consult his JudoInside page.
Coach Antoine Valois-Fortier
Antoine started practising judo at the age of four at the Club de judo de Beauport. His parents thought the sport would be a healthy outlet for their son’s boundless energy, but they didn’t expect it to become Antoine’s greatest passion. In 2008, Antoine moved to Montreal to train at the Shidokan Judo Club (former Judo Canada National Training Centre). It was during the 2012 London Olympic Games, where he won a bronze medal, that the world got to know Antoine’s exceptional talent. In 2014, Antoine Valois-Fortier won his first medal, silver, at the World Championships, followed by two bronze medals in 2015 and 2019. Along with his athletic career, Antoine graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Intervention in Physical Activity from the Université du Québec à Montréal and a Specialized Graduate Diploma in Sport Management from HEC Montréal. In December 2021, at 31 years old and after a remarkable career of more than 12 years on the national team, Antoine retired from competition. In January 2022 Antoine joined Judo Canada as the Senior National Coach.
Priscilla Gagné
Priscilla Gagné received several diagnoses for her vision before specialists discovered she had retinitis pigmentosa. However, the condition never stopped Priscilla from doing sports.
The athlete trained karate for a long time before she decided to try judo in 2008. She took an interest in the sport because of its growing international presence at Paralympic level, but she also loves the culture of judo, whose teachings can be applied both in sport and in life. After her fourth competition, Priscilla broke her foot and had to stay off the tatami until 2013. When she started competing again, she was very committed to qualifying for her first Paralympic experience and eventually participated in Rio in 2016.
Priscilla is the first Canadian female medallist at the IBSA World Championships where she won the bronze medal in Portugal in 2018. The following year she finishes second in the IBSA Games in Fort Wayne, United States.
Priscilla attended Rhema Bible College in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Everest College in Barrie, Ontario, and now she intends to keep training and improving, so that she can honour Canada with medals from international competitions.
One of Priscilla’s idols is her coach, Nathalie Gosselin. She says she admires Nathalie’s determination, dedication, and intensity at work. She is also very grateful to Andrzej Sadej for his guidance and coaching.
Justin Karn
After swimming and wrestling, Justin Karn took up judo at the age of 13, at the Brantford, Ontario school for the blind. The Guelph native immediately loved the sport, which requires strength, endurance, and great coordination.
Among Justin’s greatest accomplishments is ranking seventh in the -60kg category at the London Paralympic Games in 2012. As a judoka in the B3 class for athletes with a visual disability, Justin also won the bronze at the Guadalajara Parapan American Games in 2011.
In 2019, Juste placed 7th at the IBSA Games in USA.
His objective is to compete at the Tokyo Paralympic Games in 2020, where he hopes to get his hands on a medal.
Justin, who trains under Andrzej Sadej at the Institut national du sport, has many passions outside of judo. He is learning Swedish and he loves cooking and playing the guitar. He is also planning to go back to school sometime in the near future.
Coach Sasha Mehmedovic
Sasha was born in Pancevo, Serbia, and came to Canada in 1993, when he was eight years old. He got into judo by following the footsteps of his father, a judoka who for years was Sasha’s greatest mentor. A fan of contact sports and martial arts, Sasha chose to dedicate himself to judo as a way to pursue his Olympic dream. In his ten years on the national team, he represented Canada in the Olympic Games twice, in the 2008 Beijing Games and in the 2012 London Games. His greatest accomplishment as an athlete was a seventh place in the World Championships in 2007. Throughout his career, he won several medals in World Cups and Grand Prix competitions. In September 2013, shortly after retiring from competition, Sasha joined the Judo Canada coaching staff. Sasha is an assistant national junior/U23 coach.
Coach Janusz Pawlowski
Janusz Pawlowski was born July 20, 1959, in Sopot, Poland. The former Polish national team member attained remarkable success in his judo career, fighting in the under 65 kg category. Throughout his career, he was six-time Polish national champion, won three European Championship medals, was two-time Olympic medallist and won three World Championship medals. Janusz hold a master’s degree from the Academy of Physical Education in Gdansk, Poland, with specialization in Judo Coaching. In 2013 Janusz was inducted into the Poland Sport Hall of Fame. Since 1991, Janusz has been training athletes from various backgrounds and from different countries, some of whom have competed at the highest levels, including at the Olympic Games. He helps athletes reach their full potential and achieve their best performance by using his extensive competition experience, worldwide travel and decades of coaching. Janusz is also fluent in five languages. He has lived in Poland, Kuwait, Slovenia, and Italy before arriving in Canada in 2014, where he holds the position of Assistant National Coach at Judo Canada National Training Center in Montreal.
François Gauthier-Drapeau
Date of birth: January 27, 1998
Weight Division: 81 kg – Height: 180 cm
Hometown: Alma, Quebec
Residence: Montreal, Quebec
Judo Club: Club de judo Seiko – Province : Quebec
Training Place: Judo Canada’s National Training Centre in Montreal
National Team Coach: Antoine Valois-Fortier
HIGHLIGHTS
• 5th place at the World Championships 2023
• Pan-American Champion Runner-Up 2024
• Pan-American Champion 2023
• Silver Medallist at the Grand Slam Antalya 2024
• 6-time Grand Slam Bronze Medallist on the IJF World TourFrançois Gauthier-Drapeau, who was born in Alma, Quebec, began practicing judo as a child, and quickly became one of Canada’s most promising athletes. He first made his mark at the national level, where he won several medals at the Canadian Championship, cementing his reputation in the country’s sports community.
François then went on to achieve great success at the international level. In 2021, he won a bronze medal at the Baku Grand Slam in Azerbaijan. The following year, he won bronze medals at the Tel Aviv Grand Slam in Israel and the PanAmerican–Oceania Championships in Lima, Peru. In 2022, he clinched a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
He continued to work hard in 2023, adding several medals to his tally, including a gold medal at the Pan-American Championships and bronze medals at the Tel Aviv Grand Slam, the Antalya Grand Slam, and the Paris Grand Slam. He then capped off his season with a fifth-place finish at the World Championships in Doha, Qatar.
Since the beginning of 2024, he has maintained his momentum, winning a bronze medal at the Paris Grand Slam, a silver medal at the Antalya Grand Slam, and a silver medal at the Pan-American Championships.
The judoka from Quebec is known for his technical fighting style and his determination on the tatamis. He has continued to train hard and hopes to step onto the podium once again, this time at the Paris Olympic Games.
For the entire list of François’s results, please consult his JudoInside page.
Coach Alexandre Emond
Alexandre started judo at the Varennes Judo Club when he was 6 years old. In his youth, his parents introduced him to all the sports that the city of Varennes offered. Among all the sports he tried, Judo was his favorite and the one he was passionate about.
From a young age, Alexandre travelled with the Quebec team around Canada to compete in the national championships and it was these first experiences that gave him the desire to continue judo.
Alexander became a member of the national team at the age of 20 and participated in the London Olympic Games in 2012.
Since January 2017, Alexandre has joined the national team as a coach for athletes under the age of 18 who attend the Judo Canada National Training Center (CEN) in Montreal on a part-time basis.
Christa Deguchi
Date of birth: October 29, 1995
Weight division: -57 kg – Height: 161 cm
Hometown: Shiojiri, Nagano, Japan
Residence: Kofu, Yamanashi, Japan
First Judo Club: Seishinkan Judo Club, Japan
Current Judo Club: Lethbridge Kyodokan Judo Club – Province: Alberta
Training place : Yamanashi Gakuin University, Japan
National Team Coach: Antoine Valois-Fortier
HIGHLIGHTS
• 2-time World Champion
o 2019
o 2023
• World Champion Runner-Up 2024 & World Bronze Medallist 2018
• Gold Medallist at IJF World Masters 2022
• 3-time Pan-American Champion
o 2018
o 2019
o 2023
• 11-time Grand Slam Gold Medallist on the IJF World TourChrista was born in Shiojiri, Nagano, Japan. Her father, who was originally from Manitoba, hoped she would learn a martial art, so her mother, who was from Japan, enrolled her in a judo club near her grandmother’s house. Christa therefore undertook her long adventure in judo at the age of three and a half.
Initially under the tutelage of Maruyama-Shihan of the Seishinkan Judo Club, Christa excelled in the Japanese judo system. However, in 2017, for the second time, Judo Canada offered her the opportunity to represent her father’s country. After careful consideration, she decided to accept.
Naturally, a brief adjustment period followed, but with her first gold medal at the Paris Grand Slam in 2018. She went on to win a bronze medal at the World Championships in 2018, followed by the under-57 kg World Championship in 2019, becoming the first Canadian judoka to earn the coveted title.
Over the years, Christa’s achievements have multiplied, including three gold medals at the Pan-American Championships and an impressive total of 11 gold medals at IJF World Tour Grand Slams, as well as a gold medal at the Jerusalem Masters in 2022.
However, she has overcome her share of obstacles on the road to success. Christa narrowly missed out on the chance to compete at the Tokyo Games in 2020, but with perseverance, she soon managed to rise back up through the world rankings in her category.
In May 2023, she took part in the World Championships in Doha, Qatar, where she won the second world title of her career. A year later, at the same event, she secured a spot at the Olympics for the first time by winning the silver medal in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Since she first began practicing judo, Christa has dreamed of becoming an Olympic champion. She remains determined to achieve this goal, and she is dedicated to representing all Canadians, both at home and abroad. But most especially at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
For the entire list of Christa’s results, please consult her JudoInside page
Shady Elnahas
Date of birth: March 27, 1998
Weight division: 100 kg Height: 192 cm
Hometown: Alexandria, Egypt
Residence: Montreal, Quebec
Judo Club : Bosei Judo Academy – Province : Ontario
Training place: Judo Canada National Training Centre in Montreal
National Team Coach : Antoine Valois-Fortier
HIGHLIGHTS
• 2024 World Champion Runner-Up
• 5th place at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games
• 5th place at the World Championships in 2021 & 2023
• 5-time Pan-American Champion
o 2019
o 2020
o 2022
o 2023
o 2024
• 14-time Grand Prix & Grand Slam medallist on the IJF World TourOriginally from Egypt, Shady is a remarkable Canadian judo talent. He proved as much at his first Grand Slam tournament in Osaka in 2018, where he won the under-100 kg silver medal.
Since then, the Ontarian has established himself as one of the leaders in his category. In fact, he won five medals in International Judo Federation (IJF) events in 2019 alone. In 2021, he won his first Grand Slam title in Tbilisi, Georgia, and finished fifth at the World Championships just a few weeks before the Tokyo Olympic Games. In the Japanese capital, he put in an excellent performance that earned him a fifth-place finish.
For Shady, the Paris Olympic cycle saw him win five additional Grand Slam medals, including two silver in early 2024. As gold medallist at the 2023 Pan-American Games in Santiago, five-time Pan-American champion, and two-time fifth-place finisher at the 2021 and 2023 World Championships, Shady completed his qualification process for Paris 2024 by becoming runner-up world champion in Abu Dhabi in May 2024. He now intends to maintain his momentum in France, where he will have his sights set on the Olympic podium.For the entire list of Shady’s results, please consult his JudoInside page
Arthur Margelidon
Date of birth: October 12, 1993
Weight division: 73 kg Height: 180 cm
Hometown: Paris, France
Residence: Montreal, Quebec
Judo Club: Shidokan Judo Club – Province : Quebec
Training place: Judo Canada National Training Centre in Montreal
National Team Coach : Antoine Valois-Fortier
HIGHLIGHTS
- • 5th place at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games
• 5th place at the 2023 World Championships
• 2-time medallist at the IJF World Masters
o Silver (2018)
o Bronze (2022)
• 12-time Grand Prix & Grand Slam medallist on the IJF World Tour
• 2-time Pan-American Champion
o 2016
o 2024
Arthur was born in Paris, but he now resides in Montréal. He took up judo at the age of six after his father, an enthusiastic lifelong practitioner of the combat sport, introduced him to it. Judo allows Arthur to push his own limits and fosters continual improvement.
Arthur qualified for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, but unfortunately, he broke his wrist during a training session shortly before the event and had to drop out. However, he never gave up. Over the three years that followed, he had great results at the international level, winning silver medals at the Guangzhou Masters in 2018 and the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam in 2019, among others, which allowed him to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Games during the following Olympic cycle.
At the 2020 Olympics, the two-time Pan-American champion put in the best performance of his career, finishing fifth in the under-73 kg category. Following those Games, the Canadian continued to enjoy his share of success, including winning bronze at the 2022 Masters in Jerusalem and finishing fifth at the Doha World Championships a year later. Arthur, who won a silver medal at the Baku Grand Slam in 2022 and a bronze medal at the same venue in February 2024, now has his sights set on the Olympic podium in Paris, where he will compete as reigning Pan-American–Oceania champion.For the entire list of Arthur’s results, please consult his JudoInside page
- • 5th place at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games
Coach Andrzej Sadej
Since the 1990s, Andrzej Sadej has been one of the iconic faces of Canadian judo. His perseverance and dedication have enabled the advancement of judo in the country on many levels. He started as a national coach from 1990 to 1996 and then moved on to the administration of Judo Canada. His desire has always been to lead Judo Canada to the forefront of international competition. His administrative successes include restructuring the human resources of the Judo Canada office to optimize the organization and the successful transition of the NCCP program. He drafts and implements the long-term athlete development model, always pairing the management of national tournaments. In 2014, Andrzej returned to prominent tatami mats as the national coach of the Paralympic program for the blind athletes of Judo Canada. It gives a second breath to this program. In 2018, Priscilla Gagné became the first female world medalist of the Paralympic program in Canadian judo by winning bronze in Portugal. Once again, Andzrej contributed in an exceptional way! Andrzej Sadej has definitely revitalized Canadian judo with passion and devotion, which gives it a place among the builders