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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
OUR 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
- 2021 – Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games – Bronze medalist
- 2021 – World Champion
- 2018, 2019 & 2021 – IJF World Masters – Bronze medalist
- 2018 – Grand Slam Osaka – Gold medalist
- 2017 – Pan-American Champion
- 2013 – Cadet World Champion (52 kg)
ATHLETE’S BIO
- 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. Her ultimate goal is to become Olympic Champion.
For the entire list of Jessica’s results, please consult her JudoInside page.
Catherine Beauchemin-Pinard
Date of birth: June 26, 1994
Weight division: 63 kg Height: 161 cm
Hometown: Saint-Hubert, Québec
Residence: Montréal, Québec
Judo Club: Club de Judo de Saint-Hubert inc. Personal Coach: Frédéric Féréal
Training place: Judo Canada National Training Centre – INS-Québec
National Team Coach: Sasha Mehmedovic
HIGHLIGHTS
- 2021 Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, bronze medalist
- 2020 Pan American Champion
- 2015 World Championships, 5th (57 kg)
- 2014 Grand Slam Tyumen, gold medalist (57 kg)
- 2014 Juniors World Championships, bronze medalist (57 kg)
- 2013 Junior World Championships, silver medalist (57 kg)
ATHLETE’S BIO
When Catherine Beauchemin-Pinard was a child, her sister played soccer and her brother practised another martial art, but Catherine wanted a sport of her own. One day in class, she read something about Nicolas Gill and his passion for judo and that’s all it took for her to know she had found what she was looking for. That’s how, at the age of nine, she started her life on the tatami. She was inspired first by Isabel Latulippe, an athlete from her own club, and then by the Olympic performances of Nicolas Gill, Marie-Hélène Chisholm, and Antoine Valois-Fortier. Catherine’s result includes a Junior World Championship silver medal in 2013, followed by a bronze in 2014. She is the only Canadian two-time Junior World medalist. In 2015, she finished fifth at the World Championships. Catherine qualified for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, her great results leading to the games lead her to be ranked top 8 in the world in 2016. After the 2017 World Championships, Catherine moved up a weight class to 63 kg. In her new category, Catherine was crowned Pan-American champion in 2019 and 2020 and won the gold medal at the 2021 Grand Slam Tbilisi, to name a few achievements.
For the entire list of Catherine’s results, please consult her JudoInside page.
Antoine Bouchard
Date of birth: August 24, 1994
Weight division: -73 kg
Height: 5’9’’
Hometown: Jonquière, Quebec
Residence: Montreal, Quebec
Judo Club: Club de Judo de Jonquière
Personal Coach: Roger Tremblay
Training place: Judo Canada National Training Centre at INS-Québec in Montreal
HIGHLIGHTS
- 2016 – Fifth place at the Olympics Games in Rio
- 2015 & 2018 – Pan-American Champion
- 2019 – Grand Prix Marrakech – Bronze medalist
- 2019 – Grand Prix Marrakech – Bronze medalist
ATHLETE’S BIO
- Originally from Jonquiere, he first put on a judogi at the age of five because his parents were looking for a constructive outlet for their son’s energy.
- Antoine’s path led him to compete at the highest levels of judo. He won the Pan American Championships twice in 2015 and 2018 and also medaled at several international events.
- His highest achievement is a 5thplace at the Rio Olympic Games in the Summer of 2016.
- Following the 2017 World Championships, Antoine moved up weight categories from 66 kg to 73 kg.
- Antoine wants to qualify for the Olympic Games in Tokyo, fight to the best of his ability and hopefully bring a medal home!
For the entire list of Antoine’s results, please consult his JudoInside page.
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, soon after retiring from competing, Sasha joined the Junior national team as a coach. He is now assistant coach to the national women’s team.
When he is off the tatami, Sasha likes watching movies and spending time with his dog. The Montreal resident recently graduated in education studies from Concordia University.
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.
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
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, Alberta
Training place : Yamanashi Gakuin University, Japan
National Team Coach: Sasha Mehmedovic
HIGHLIGHTS
- 2019 – World Champion
- 2018 – World Championships bronze medalist
- 2018, 2019 & 2020 – Grand Slam Paris Champion
- 2018 & 2019 – Pan American Champion
- 2019 – Grand Slam Ekaterinbourg Champion
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 : Jccc – Judo Kai
Personal Coach : Ken Fukushima
Training place: Judo Canada National Training Centre – INS-Québec
National Team Coach : Sasha Mehmedovic
HIGHLIGHTS
- 2021 – Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, 5th
- 2021 – World Championships, 5th
- 2021 – Grand Slam Tbilisi, Gold medalist
- 2019 & 2020 – Pan American Champion
- 2019 – Grand Slam Abu Dhabi & Ekaterinbourg, Bronze medalist
- 2018 – Grand Slam Osaka, Silver medalist
ATHLETE’S BIO
Originally from Egypt, Shady is a remarkable talent. On his first appearance at a Grand Slam tournament, he won the silver medal (Osaka 2018). Since then, Shady has taken his place among the favourites of his category. In 2019 he won 5 medals at IJF world tour events. In 2021 he won his first ever Grand Slam in Tbilisi and placed 5th at the world championships.
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
Current Judo Club: Shidokan Judo Club
Personal Coach : Laurent Margelidon
Training place: Judo Canada National Training Centre – INS-Québec
National Team Coach : Sasha Mehmedovic
HIGHLIGHTS
- 2021 – Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, 5th place
- 2021 – Grand Slam Tbilisi – Silver medalist
- 2019 – Grand Slam Abu Dhabi – Silver medalist
- 2018 – IJF World Masters – Silver medalist
- 2017 – Grand Slam Tokyo – Silver medalist
- 2016 – Pan American Champion
ATHLETE’S BIO
Arthur started judo when he was 6 years old, encouraged by his father, who himself has been a passionate judoka his entire life. Arthur enjoys the sport because it allows him to push his limits and forces him to constantly improve. Arthur qualified for the Olympic Games in Rio in 2016, unfortunately he broke his wrist during training shortly before the event and could not participate in the games. Arthur is particularly proud of his silver medal at the 2017 Grand Prix in Hohhot and for having defeated the two-time world champion and Olympic medallist Riki Nakaya. In 2018 Arthur placed second at the IJF World Masters Guangzhou and over the next two years he won 6 medals at Grand Prix and Grand Slams.
For the entire list of Arthur’s results, please consult his JudoInside page.
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
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