Montréal, October 30, 2023 – The Kata World Championships were in full swing this weekend in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The mother-daughter duo composed of Danielle Ferland and Meggie Aiko Lachaine seized the opportunity to shine in the Ju-no-Kata final.

After finishing third in their group in the qualifiers, Ferland and her daughter Lachaine pulled out all the stops in the final, ending the competition in sixth place with 381 points.

Mariko and Momoko Ishida of Japan took top honours in the category.

The two Canadians attributed their strong performance to the special bond they share, which is far more than a simple family tie. They understand each other’s strengths and weaknesses, and they know exactly how to interact with each other when the pressure is on.

“Our advantage is that we know each other inside and out. One of our strengths is our chemistry, although it can sometimes also be a disadvantage. For example, Meggie wasn’t feeling all that great on Saturday. I was aware of it, and I wanted to take care of her like a mother would, but I also had to be able to motivate her like a teammate would,” Ferland explained to the International Judo Federation.

“Also, we’re able to train at home, which is probably not very common in this sport. We train in the dining room and in the hallways of our house. It’s a lot of fun, and it keeps us in sync,” she added.

Also in Ju-no-Kata, Juliette Mireault and Simon Gauthier-Hansen earned a score of 379 points in the qualifiers and finished ninth in their group in the preliminary rounds.

Several other Canadians were in action this weekend in Abu Dhabi.

Kelly Palmer and Wesley Enns finished seventh in their group in the Katame-no-Kata qualification rounds with 373 points, but did not advance to the final.

Shane Le Gros and Dan Rusu very nearly qualified for the Kime-no-Kata final, finishing seventh with 502.5 points in the preliminary rounds. The top six advanced to the final. Martin Vallières and Mario Pageau (467.5 points) finished fourteenth in the same discipline.

Two Canadian duos competed in Goshin-Jutsu. Allyn Takahashi and Tony Walby finished seventh in the Group A qualification rounds with 501 points, while Daniel Bird and Masoud Naeimi finished tenth in Group B with 459 points.

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Written by Sportcom for Judo Canada

For more information:

Patrick Esparbès
Chief Operating Officer
Judo Canada
(514) 668-6279
p.esparbes@judocanada.org