Montréal, May 17, 2026 – The final day of the Open National Championships was marked by outstanding performances by several Quebec athletes at the Olympic Oval in Calgary. In Sunday’s senior-level competitions, a total of seven gold medals were won by judokas from Quebec, both female and male.

Photo: Judo Canada
Laurence Biron and Merab Iokhmusashvili

In the women’s events, four of the seven national titles went to Québécoises: Melody Grenier (-52 kg), Laurence Gagnon (-57 kg), Laurence Biron (-63 kg), and Missy Jen Dorval-Mbele (-70 kg). Female athletes from la belle province also captured six silver and five bronze medals.

The other three gold medals were won by Zoe Element (New Brunswick, -48 kg), Emiliya Aliyeva (Alberta, -78 kg), and Olivia Wisniowski (British Columbia, +78 kg).

“My mindset coming here was that I wanted to win,” said Biron, whose family was in attendance this weekend. “Knowing [my family] is here is very good for my confidence. I wanted to make them proud.”

The 22-year-old judoka hopes her results today serve as a springboard for her upcoming competitions.

“This was good preparation for me, because I’ll be competing in South America at the end of June. I wanted to use this event to get my bearings and figure out my strategies. I think this preparation will serve me well in my next few tournaments,” added Biron, who will compete at the Pan-American Opens in Buenos Aires and Santiago.

In the men’s competitions, athletes from Quebec earned three gold medals, three bronze, and eight silver. Xavier Brouillette (-60 kg), Anes Mati (-66 kg), and Olivier Gagnon (-81 kg) all remained unbeaten on the final day of the Open.

Ontario also fared well, thanks to titles won by Matthew Molchanov (-90 kg) and Merab Iokhmusashvili (+100 kg). Lowan Le Bris (British Columbia, -73 kg) and Alexandre Briand (Manitoba, -100 kg) captured the two remaining gold medals.

Despite having nabbed silver in the U21 +100-kg category on Saturday, Iokhmusashvili had enough energy left over on Sunday to climb to the very top of the podium.

“I came here to win. Right from the start of the competition, I knew I’d become the champion,” said Iokhmusashvili, who began competing internationally last fall. “My dad, my coach, and my family have always been there for me, and their support means everything to me.”

Iokhmusashvili does not intend to rest on his laurels, as he’ll be aiming for a strong result at the upcoming Junior World Championships in Uzbekistan this November.

For all the tournament results, click here.

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Written by Sportcom for Judo Canada

For more information:

Patrick Esparbès
Chief Operating Officer
Judo Canada
(514) 668-6279
[email protected]