Calgary, May 17, 2026 – At Judo Canada’s Annual Awards and Recognition Gala on Sunday, which followed the conclusion of the Canadian Open Championships in Calgary, seventeen award recipients were celebrated.

Among those honoured, Catherine Beauchemin-Pinard and François Gauthier-Drapeau were named Most Outstanding Senior Athletes of the Year.

Beauchemin-Pinard had a brilliant showing last June, winning the under-63 kg silver medal at the World Championships in Budapest, Hungary. In addition, the Québécoise won two Grand Slam medals this past year: gold in Tbilisi, Georgia, and silver in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. She also stood on the podium at the Pan-American Championships on two separate occasions.

As for Gauthier-Drapeau, he currently holds the top spot in the national senior rankings. The Québécois won gold at the 2025 Abu Dhabi Grand Slam, and he is ranked sixth in the world in the under-81 kg category.

Two judokas from British Columbia—Carla Van Zyl and Lowan Le Bris—were named Most Outstanding U21 Athletes of the Year, while Charlie Thibault and Anes Mati, both of Quebec, were awarded the same title in the U18 age group. Thibault won a silver medal at the most recent Cadet World Championships, and Mati finished fifth in his category at the same competition.

Ontarians Marianna Schesnuik and Giorgi Kurashvili received the same honour in the U16 age category.

Quebec natives Zachary Mainville and Thomas Warolin, who won the U23 bronze medal in Nage-no-Kata at the 2025 Kata World Championships, were named Most Outstanding Kata Athletes.

In addition to celebrating these ten exceptional judokas for their remarkable seasons, the gala highlighted the contributions of our volunteers and shone a spotlight on the clubs that stood out over the past year.

The Judo Canada Hero Award was presented to Steve Norris, in recognition of his dedication to both the Tolide Judo Kwai Club in Fort Saskatchewan and the entire judo community, at every level.

Outstanding Shiai Volunteer Award: Milton Good
Outstanding Contribution to the Board or to a National Committee: Luc Briand
Most Outstanding Referee Contribution Award: Liberyoni Galindo
President’s Award: Kelly Thornton
Judo Club with the Most Members: Club de judo Olympique
Raymond Damblant Award: Club de judo Shidokan

Other recipients:

-30-

Written by Sportcom for Judo Canada

For more information:

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