After having been eliminated in his second bout in yesterday’s junior competition, Kim Hyeongi was determined to get back on track in today’s cadet tournament at the Pan-American Cup, being held at Montréal’s Centre Pierre-Charbonneau.

And the 17-year-old athlete did just that, winning all his matches on Friday as he cruised to the top of the podium in the under-60 kg weight category.

Although Hyeongi got off to a poor start in the final against Ontario’s Matthew Schesnuik, receiving two shidos early in the bout, he kept his wits about him, containing the damage and forcing the match into overtime.

Just over a minute into golden score, the Québécois succeeded in knocking his opponent down to secure the win.

“I was totally exhausted during the final. It’s been two big days of judo. I could tell my opponent was well-prepared, so I’m happy to have defeated him and won the gold medal. I’m really happy with my win, especially since it was here in Montréal,” explained Hyeongi.

Earlier today, Hyeongi disposed of Nathan Thiel and Amir Temirbaev to advance to the semi-finals. It was Temirbaev who defeated him in yesterday’s junior tournament.

“I wanted to do my best today. My plan was to take it one match at a time, and it worked. Amir beat me in the round of sixteen yesterday, so I really wanted to even the score. When I fought him today, I focused on the things I could control, and that paid off,” he concluded.

Hyeongi then defeated Samuel Tang of Great Britain to advance to the final. Temirbaev finished the day on the third step of the podium in the same category.

Elsewhere in the boys’ division, Akhmed Loliev (-50 kg) and Franck David Moussima Ewane Elouti (+90 kg) won silver medals today, while William Maheux (-50 kg), Arel Roitman (-55 kg), Xavier Brouillette (-55 kg), Nazar Makieshyn (-66 kg), Shon Tansky (-66 kg), Lowan Le Bris (-73 kg), Tristan Bourque (-81 kg), Matthew Molchanov (-81 kg), Eden Khalfon (+90 kg), and Ivan Tyshchenko (+90 kg) won bronze.

An incredible end to the week for Addyson Tamura

Addyson Tamura would be the first to tell you she could never have imagined finishing the week the way she did at the Montréal Pan-American Cup. Yesterday’s gold medallist in the junior category achieved another podium finish on Friday, winning bronze in the under-48 kg weight class.

The athlete from Lethbridge lost her first match of the day on Friday to Malia Manibog of the USA, who later won the category’s gold medal.

However, Tamura did not give up. She won her next three bouts, including the bronze medal final against her teammate and fellow Albertan Christina Karas.

“My first fight was difficult, but I didn’t want to let that one loss get the better of me. I wanted to come back stronger and win. I’m glad everything went well in the end and that I won two medals this week,” said Tamura.

“Fighting a teammate is hard, because you know each other so well. You have to fight against someone you like a lot, which can feel strange. But it’s all part of the sport, and I’m glad I won.”

Although she’s delighted with her bronze medal, the 16-year-old insists that next year, she’ll be even more prepared to fight for the coveted cadet gold medal.

“This week, I was really determined to win it all. It’s amazing to be able to compete in Canada. It’s a fantastic opportunity. Next year, I’m going to come back even stronger, and I’m going to win that elusive gold medal,” she said.

In the same weight division as Tamura, British Columbia’s Madeleine Schimann also won a bronze medal.

There were only two competitors in the over-70 kg category. Abigail Smith defeated her countrymate Emily Harris to claim the gold medal.

Melody Grenier (-52 kg), Myroslava Bondarenko (-57 kg), and Charlie Thibault (-70 kg) all won silver medals on Friday. As for Metis Couture (-63 kg), Miguela Ngombi (-63 kg), Emiliya Aliyeva (-70 kg), and Missy Jen Dorval Mbele (-70 kg), they finished the day on the third step of the podium.

The Montréal Pan-American Cup will continue on Saturday and Sunday at the Centre Pierre-Charbonneau with the senior competitions.