Montreal, July 1, 2018 — The last day of competition in Claude-Robillard for the Canada Cup was presenting the senior and U16 athletes. With Montreal being in the middle of a heat wave, the athletes had to deal with a hot and humid weather, making their fights a little more difficult than usual. Despite the difficult conditions, athletes were able to prove their ability to adapt and perform.

Emily Burt (-70 kg) was happy to be back on the mats and show she was ready to fight. She had to take a break to recover from a concussion she had, and she also recently moved up from the -63 kg category. The opponents in Montreal were strong, and she saw the tournament as a check-up point before heading into her busy summer competition schedule. “It was already really hot, so it didn’t take much for me to feel ready this morning. The first two fights were a good preparation for the final. My opponent was very strong, I didn’t know if I’d be able to win, so I’m really happy with the result.” In just a few weeks, the national team member will be heading to Croatia and Budapest. “It was good to come here, to fight with girls that are -70 kg in a smaller tournament to get ready for the big ones coming up soon.” She won all her bouts of the day, fighting against Canadians Brae Booth, Shianne Gronen, and Alix-Renaud-Roy.

Hakim Chala (-60 kg) also won the title in his category against all-Canadians opponents: Riley Southby in the preliminary round, followed by Benjamin Daviau in the semifinal, and Alexandre Di Bartolo in the final. “This morning was difficult. I was annoyed by a shoulder injury, but I pushed through and I was able to win my first two fights. In the final for the gold medal, my opponent was leading at first, but I was able to catch up and win. Yesterday gave me confidence, so I was already feeling good coming in today. Now, I’ll take a break for the summer, hopefully to come back stronger and ready to compete at a higher level.”

With the Canada Cup now done, the athletes are getting ready to either enjoy a well-deserved summer break or to take off for the summer competition tour.

Burt and Chala

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Written by Sarah Mailhot for Judo Canada

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