Double Defeat for Canada

Montreal, December 4, 2015 – It was a short day for Canadians Jessica Klimkait and Antoine Bouchard at the Tokyo, Japan Grand Slam this Friday. Both judokas were eliminated from the competition when they lost their first matches of the day.

On the women’s side, Jessica Klimkait, 86th in the world in the Under 57 kg class, succumbed to Japan’s Tsukasa Yoshida, 22nd, who won the 2015 Tyumen Grand Slam. Yoshida won the match by ippon and yuko.

“Despite losing today [Friday], I feel like I have a lot to take away from my fight,” said the Whitby, Ontario athlete. “My gripping and my attacks felt strong, and for the first half of the match it was pretty equal. I ended up losing my posture, which allowed her to attack and score on me a couple of times. This is something I know I can change, so I am looking forward to the training camp to train hard and improve where I went wrong.”

Klimkait also believes that the experience has made her more confident. “She did go on to win the competition, so having a strong fight with her reassures me that I am on the right track. Being able to compete among the top players and be in one of the biggest competitions in the world was a great experience.”

On the men’s side, Saguenay judoka Antoine Bouchard, 16th, who brought home a bronze medal from the African Open in early November, received a bye from the Under 66 kg opening round. His first match then pitted him against Moroccan Imad Bassou, 51st, who brought it to a halt with an ippon.

This Saturday, several other Maple Leafers will be hitting the mat. Kelita Zupancic (Whitby) will be competing in the Under 70 kg, while Étienne Briand (Sept-Îles) and Arthur Margelidon (Montreal) will be on the Under 73 kg roster. Finally, Antoine Valois-Fortier (Beauport) will be representing Canada in the Under 81 kg division.

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Written by Sportcom for Judo Canada
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