Montréal, September 29, 2024 – Ontario’s Keagan Young struck gold in the under-81 kg big final at the European Judo Open in Prague, Czech Republic, on Sunday. In his final match, the 23-year-old defeated Mo Van Dun of the Netherlands by ippon in less than two minutes.

Photo : Kostadin Andonov, EJU

It was Canada’s second medal in the Czech capital this weekend. British Columbia’s Isabelle Harris won bronze on Saturday in the under-63 kg division.

“If I may say so, [Keagan] was nearly perfect today,” said his coach, Antoine Bouchard. “In the past, he has sometimes strayed from the game plan, but today, he followed it to the letter. He was patient, and he took advantage of every opportunity that came his way. He truly had an excellent day!”

Furthermore, Young won all five of his bouts by ippon.

“In the final, Keagan remained patient, and he avoided the floor. When he saw an opportunity to make a major attack, he went for it, and he won. [. . .] With his performance today, he demonstrated that he’s ready to take the next step, and if he keeps the same mindset, he’ll be very dangerous on the international scene,” added the coach.

For the 2018 Youth Olympic Games and 2017 Cadet World Championships bronze medallist, today’s win was a return to the top. Following those earlier achievements, however, the judoka hit a slump on the international scene for various reasons, including a change of weight category and a serious injury to his wrist. But all that is behind him now, affirmed Bouchard.

“When he trains, we can see that he’s got great potential, and today, he demonstrated it clearly. He’s capable of incredible things. This is a first step toward even bigger things.”

In the same weight category, David Popovici (Quebec) ended the day with two wins and one loss, and did not rank.

“[David] dominated his last match, and his opponent very nearly received a third penalty. But unfortunately, [David] tried a little too hard, and his opponent succeeded in countering him.”

In the under-90 kg division, Guillaume Gaulin (Quebec) and Mohab ElNahas (Ontario) lost their first fights of the day after having received first-round byes.

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Written by Sportcom for Judo Canada

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Patrick Esparbès
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