Christa Deguchi and Julien Frascadore Top the Podium in Calgary!
16 September 2023
Canada’s Young Judokas Seek Valuable Experience
18 September 2023
Canada’s judokas delighted their fans at Calgary’s Winsport Complex on Saturday, capturing four medals at the Pan-American/Oceania Championships. François Gauthier-Drapeau (Quebec) and Shady ElNahas (Ontario) clinched gold medals, Louis Krieber-Gagnon (Quebec) earned silver, and Marc Deschênes (Quebec) won bronze.
“I was really determined to win gold today! And the fact that the competition was being held in Calgary pumped me up even more, because we have friends here. Plus, my parents were in the stands, so that gave me extra motivation,” said the 25-year-old, who has his sights set on competing in his first Olympic Games next year.
Prior to Saturday’s match, the two finalists had fought each other twice, each winning one of the two bouts.
“I was familiar with his techniques, so I managed my strategy well, keeping in mind how to use my grips effectively. I applied my game plan to the letter, and I scored a point just before the time ran out. It was a good performance. […] It’s been my goal to [be Pan-American champion] for a long time. To make it big as a judoka in Canada, you have to win the Pan-Am.”
Although Shady ElNahas wasn’t at the top of his game today, he nevertheless succeeded in defeating Brazil’s Leonardo Goncalves in the under-100 kg gold medal final and capturing the fourth Pan-American title of his career.
“I’ve had a lot of injuries this year, so there was some doubt,” admitted the athlete. “However, I’m confident in my judo and in my coach, Antoine Valois-Fortier. During the final, I just did what he told me to do, and it worked. He knows me well enough to know what to say. Physically, I was at about 7.5/10 because of my injuries, but mentally, I was at 10/10.”
ElNahas’ fellow Ontarian Kyle Reyes also came close to winning a medal in Calgary; however, he bowed out to Thomas Briceno of Chile in the bronze medal final. It was a payback of sorts for Briceno, who had been defeated by Reyes in the 2021 Pan-American Championships.
In the under-90 kg big final, Louis Krieber-Gagnon of Montréal lost to Rafael Macedo of Brazil. Today’s silver medal was the first PanAmerican/Oceania Championships medal of 27-year-old Krieber-Gagnon’s career.
In the same weight division, Quebec’s Alexandre Arencibia posted one win and two losses and did not rank after being eliminated by Macedo.
In the over-100 kg weight category, Marc Deschênes secured a fourth medal for Canada when he defeated Omar Leon Cruz of Cuba in the bronze medal final.
A short day for Canada’s women
Of the three Canadian women in action on Saturday, Laurence Biron (Quebec) was the only one to win a match. In the under-70 kg category, the 19-year-old defeated Victoria Delvecchio of Argentina by ippon, but lost her next two bouts and finished seventh. Last weekend, Biron won gold at the same Championships, but in the junior age category.
Also in the under-70 kg weight division, Ontario’s Alexandria Lefort was eliminated in the first round. Coralie Godbout of Quebec met the same fate in the under-78 kg category.
The PanAmerican/Oceania Championships will conclude on Sunday with the team events.
