Montréal, May 5, 2024 – As the last Canadian to compete at the Grand Slam in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, Kyle Reyes fell just short of a podium finish in the under-100 kg category on Sunday.

Photo: IJF / Kulumbegashvili Tamara
Kyle Reyes et Dzhafar Kostoev

In the Ontarian’s battle for bronze against Dzhafar Kostoev of the United Arab Emirates, Kostoev succeeded in anticipating Reyes’s strategy, therefore blocking him from the podium.

“The fight didn’t go as expected,” explained Reyes, who finished the day in fifth place. “My plan was to keep my distance and attack as soon as I saw an opening. But he came out very strong and was able to move in close to me.”

Reyes, who won silver at last week’s Pan-American–Oceania Championships, therefore attempted to adjust his approach, but his opponent was ready for him.

“I had to change tactics. I saw an opening and went for it, but he was ready for me and he managed to throw me.”

Nevertheless, today’s fifth place finish was Reyes’s best Grand Slam result since 2023, when he won a bronze medal in Hungary.

On Sunday, he began his day with a victory over Zelimkhan Bashaev of Bahrain. He then lost to Daniel Eich of Switzerland, who later won the silver medal. In the repechage, the Canadian disposed of Croatia’s Zlatko Kumric before taking on Kostoev.

“I didn’t perform badly today. My body moved well, and I felt good mentally. But one small error made the difference. Next time, I’ll have to be more careful and make better decisions, so that I can win all my bouts,” he concluded.

On Friday, Jessica Klimkait captured the gold medal in the under-57 kg category in the capital of Tajikistan. She won all four of her bouts, including the big final against Sarah-Leonie Cysique of France.

Three medals in Santiago

Canada was also represented at the Pan-American Open in Santiago, Chile, on Sunday, where the team secured three medals, including one gold and two silver.

After winning two bouts each, Justin Lemire and Olivier Gagnon went head-to-head in the under-73 kg gold medal match. Gagnon emerged victorious from the all-Canadian final to clinch his first Pan-American gold medal, after twice finishing third. For Lemire, it was his fifth medal at a Pan-American Open.

In the under-60 kg division, Tylor Collin finished the day with a record of one win and two losses. After defeating Hugo Vera of Chile, he bowed out to Jairo Moreno of El Salvador. He then lost to Hiroki Kudo of Japan in the repechage.

Alex Garand finished fifth in the under-90 kg group. He was defeated by Sandro Botto of Chile and Jhon Caicedo Sinisterra of Colombia.

On the women’s side, Coralie Godbout clinched the silver medal in the under-78 kg weight class. The Québécoise, who won gold at the Pan-American Open in Varadero in April, lost today’s big final to Brenda Olaya of Colombia. Earlier, she had defeated Camila Figueroa of Peru and Adela Espinoza of Chile to advance to the gold medal match.

In the under-52 kg category, Amélie Grenier ousted Wendy Golu of Colombia before bowing out to Lilian Cordones of Panama in the semi-final. She then fought for a bronze medal, but lost to Peru’s Driulys Rivas.

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Written by Sportcom for Judo Canada

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