Another Klimkait–Deguchi Final!
Louis Krieber-Gagnon Learns Lesson Following First-Round Upset in Kazakhstan
19 June 2023
Gauthier-Drapeau and Beauchemin-Pinard Halted in Second Round
26 June 2023
On Friday, Jessica Klimkait and Christa Deguchi proved once again that they are truly the top contenders in the under-57 kg weight category. The two judokas were pitted against each other in the big final at the Ulaanbaatar Grand Slam in Mongolia.
She later received a third, giving Deguchi the win.
“Jessica and Christa were solid all day. Once they’re in the final, I play a smaller role. I don’t want to interfere, so I mainly just help them with their warm-ups. Today’s final was very tactical. It came down to penalties, and Christa came out ahead,” said national coach Antoine Valois-Fortier.
Deguchi began her day with a first-round bye. She then defeated Eunsong Park of South Korea and Altantsetseg Batsukh of the United Arab Emirates in the next two rounds. In the semi-final, she bested neutral international athlete Kseniia Galitskaia, who later won a bronze medal.
“Christa should be proud of her win. It’s a major step in a long process that will lead all the way to the Paris Olympics. I believe she’s happy with her day. It’s always extra stressful when you’re up against one of your own countrymates, but both of them are among the best in the world, and it’s great to see them compete against each other so often,” added Valois-Fortier.
As for Klimkait, before facing her teammate in the final, she dispatched of Anastasija Sokirjanska of Latvia, Nekoda Smythe-Davis of Great Britain and Mimi Huh of South Korea, who also won a bronze medal.
“In her first three fights, Jessica really set the tempo and made some great throws. She fought very impressively right up to the end,” explained her coach.
Today’s medal was Deguchi’s first gold medal at a Grand Slam since she won in Baku in November 2022.
The last time the two Canadians fought each other, at the Tel Aviv Grand Slam in February, Klimkait was the victor in the big final.
Also in action on Friday in Ulaanbaatar was Kelly Deguchi (-52 kg), who lost her only fight of the day to Gal-Od Tserentogtokh of Mongolia. Gefen Primo of Israel won the gold medal in that weight division.
On Saturday, Catherine Beauchemin-Pinard (-63 kg) and François Gauthier-Drapeau (-81 kg) will hit the tatamis in the Mongolian capital.
Louis Krieber-Gagnon (-90 kg) and Kyle Reyes (-100 kg) will compete on Sunday.
