Montréal, July 28, 2024 – The Paris Olympic judo occasions on the Champ de Mars Area have formally begun for the Canadian crew! Alberta’s Kelly Deguchi had the privilege—or slightly the problem—of getting the ball rolling for Canada towards Japan’s Uta Abe, the highest seed in her class, within the under-52 kg weight class on Sunday.
“Kelly received what was most likely the worst potential draw of any of the classes. It was a really, very tall order,” stated nationwide crew coach Antoine Valois-Fortier.
Picture : Leah Hennel/COC
Kelly Deguchi
Regardless of the loss, there was rather a lot for Deguchi to be pleased with in her efficiency. It took 56 seconds for her opponent, four-time world champion and reigning Tokyo Olympic champion, to take management and clinch the match by ippon.
“She misplaced to an athlete who is way stronger than she is, so I don’t suppose she ought to have any regrets about this expertise,” defined former Olympian Valois-Fortier
Though the judoka from Alberta needed to face the crème de la crème at her first Olympics, it was not the primary match-up for the 2 athletes. On the Antalya Grand Slam in Turkey in March 2024, Abe defeated Deguchi by ippon in seven seconds.
“Kelly had fought her twice earlier than, and people bouts had been a lot shorter than right this moment’s. The truth that she put in her greatest efficiency [against Abe] on such an essential day is a victory in itself,” stated the coach.
“Yesterday, I felt a bit harassed about being the primary Canadian to compete in judo, however after I received right here, I used to be joyful about it. The noisy crowd made it such a fantastic expertise. I’m going to carry onto it for the remainder of my life,” stated Deguchi, who had left the tatamis in tears after her match towards 24-year-old Abe.
Abe, who had held an ideal file since 2019, was eradicated within the spherical of sixteen by Uzbekistan’s Diyora Keldiyorova, the present and two-time runner-up world champion.
The Canadian crew might be again in motion on Monday. Christa Deguchi will compete within the under-57 kg class, and Arthur Margelidon will compete within the under-73kg class.
“I believe tomorrow goes to be an excellent day! Now we have an excellent probability to win some medals within the subsequent couple of days. We simply should do issues proper, and take it one step at a time. We’ll begin with the weigh-ins, we’ll do an excellent warm-up, and we’ll take it one bout at a time,” concluded the coach, who’s clearly feeling assured and looking out ahead to watching his crew’s upcoming performances.
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Written by Sportcom for Judo Canada
For extra info:
Patrick Esparbès
Chief Working Officer
Judo Canada
(514) 668-6279
p.esparbes@judocanada.org
