Montréal, October 2, 2024 – Four Canadian athletes were on Wednesday’s roster on day one of the World Junior Championships in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. Quebecers Heidi Quach and Marie-Lune Turmel obtained Canada’s best results, both reaching the round of sixteen.

Photo IJF/Tamara Kulumbegashvili
Heidi Quach (Blue)

In the under-48 kg weight division, Quach began her day with an expeditious eight-second victory over local favourite Zuhal Jumaeva. In the second round, the 20-year-old Canadian disposed of Romania’s Laura Bogdan in overtime.

Quach’s winning streak came to an end in the round of sixteen, however, when Hungary’s Szabina Szeleczki defeated her by ippon.

“Heidi began her day in spectacular fashion with a very quick victory, then followed up with an impressive win over a solid Romanian opponent to advance to the third round. And although she started off strong against the Hungarian, a slight lapse in her focus unfortunately allowed her opponent to score an ippon and win the match,” explained Canadian coach Sasha Mehmedovic.

In the same weight class, Turmel received a bye in the first round. She then faced Morgane Annis of France, whom she threw twice in less than two minutes to secure the win.

However, the roles were reversed in the next round, when Japan’s Sachiyo Yoshino threw the Québécoise twice in less than three minutes to clinch the match. Yoshino later went on to win the silver medal.

“Marie-Lune faced a tough challenge in her first bout, because her opponent recently won a bronze medal at the Junior European Championships. However, she fought extremely well. Against her Japanese opponent, she wasn’t able to find the opening she needed to score. [Yoshino] appeared to be ready for anything,” added Mehmedovic.

Although neither Quach nor Turmel advanced to the medal rounds, coach Mehmedovic is convinced the future is bright for both athletes.

“We saw great things from them today, and they’ve been developing continually over the past year. I’m convinced that over the next few seasons, they’ll continue to achieve good results. And if they keep up the good work, they should be ready for the 2028 Olympics,” he concluded.

Evelyn Beaton (-52 kg) lost her opening bout today to individual neutral athlete Daria Zakharova in overtime.

On the men’s side, Daniil Kremerman (-60 kg) was eliminated by Khairullo Ghanizoda of Tajikistan in his first match of the day.

The Junior World Championships will continue until Saturday in Dushanbe. Catherine Toshkov (-57 kg), Laurence Gagnon (-57 kg), and Félix Mercier-Ross (-73 kg) will be in action on Thursday.

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Written by Sportcom for Judo Canada

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