TOKYO 2020 JUDO CANADA MEDIA TOKYO 2020 TEAM CANADA · JUDO TABLE OF CONTENTS
PRESIDENT OF JUDO CANADA 3
JUDO CANADA OLYMPIC TEAM 4
ATHLETES
ECATERINA GUICA 5
JESSICA KLIMKAIT 7
CATHERINE BEAUCHEMIN-PINARD 9
ARTHUR MARGELIDON 11
ANTOINE VALOIS-FORTIER 13
SHADY ELNAHAS 15
TEAM STAFF 17
NICOLAS GILL 18
SASHA MEHMEDOVIC 19
JANUSZ PAWLOWSKI 20
TIFFANY HUNTING 21
MAJOR RESULTS 22 JUDO CANADA PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
Dear athletes,
On behalf of the Judo Canada Board of Directors, I would like to extend my sincere best wishes to each and every one of you. To reach the highest heights takes mental toughness, commitment to training, and a focused focus on continuous personal development.
The year 2020 was supposed to be an Olympic year but it was not due to the COVID-19 pandemia. Despite the postponement of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the confinement and the strict sanitary rules that complicated the work of the athletes and coaches, our Canadian athletes managed to shine on the international stage, despite a limited number of competitions.
Your passion and your commitment ensure that your qualification for the Olympic and Paralympic Games will be even more deserved, especially since you will have the privilege of living this magnificent experience in the country where our sport was born.
I wish you good luck and much success on the tatami mat here and around the world.
In the spirit of Judo,
Michael Tamura President of Judo Canada
JUDOCANADA.ORG - 3 JUDO CANADA OLYMPIC TEAM
TOKYO 2020
ECATERINA GUICA JESSICA KLIMKAIT - 52 KG - 57 KG
CATHERINE BEAUCHEMIN-PINARD ARTHUR MARGELIDON - 63 KG - 73 KG
ANTOINE VALOIS-FORTIER SHADY ELNAHAS - 81 KG - 100 KG
JUDOCANADA.ORG JUDO CANADA ECATERINA DATE OF BIRTH October 9, 1993 GUICA WEIGHT DIVISION -52 kg HEIGHT 165 cm -52 KG HOMETOWN Bucarest, Romania
RESIDENCE La Prairie, Québec
JUDO CLUB Sport Centre Ippon
PERSONAL COACH Catalin Guica
INS-Québec -Judo Canada National TRAINING PLACE Training Centre in Montreal
NATIONAL TEAM COACH Sasha Mehmedovic
Bachelor’s degree in psychology from Concordia University. She will EDUCATION be starting a master’s degree in psychology at Yorkville University in the fall.
FACEBOOK cate.guica
INSTAGRAM @categuica
Photos cc Rafal Burza and Tom Taylor. For photos, click here.
JUDOCANADA.ORG - 5 JUDO CANADA ECATERINA GUICA -52 KG
Ecaterina Guica started practising judo at the age of five, when her father Catalin, a former three-time Romanian champion, opened his own club. Ecaterina’s passion for the sport is fuelled by her love of competing.
She also loves the spectacular aspects of the sport, especially throwing, and the possibility of “pursuing a dream bigger than yourself.”
Ecaterina took part in the 2010 Youth Olympic Games in Singapore She participated in the Rio Olympics in 2016 and in five Senior World Championships.
She dreams of being on the podium at the Tokyo Olympics Games.
BEST RESULTS
2020 Pan American Champion
2019 Grand Slam Osaka – 7th
2019 Grand Prix Hohhot – 3rd
2018 Grand Prix Budapest – 3rd
2018 Pan American Championships – 3rd
2017 Grand Prix Hohhot – 2nd
2017 Pan American Championships – 3rd
2016 Pan American Championships – 2nd
2015 Pan American Games – 2nd
For the entire list of Ecaterina’s results, please consult her JudoInside page.
JUDOCANADA.ORG - 6 JUDO CANADA JESSICA DATE OF BIRTH December 31, 1996 KLIMKAIT WEIGHT DIVISION -57 kg HEIGHT 163 cm -57 KG HOMETOWN Whitby, Ontario
RESIDENCE Montreal, Québec
JUDO CLUB Ajax Budokan Judo Club
PERSONAL COACH Kevin Doherty
INS-Québec -Judo Canada National TRAINING PLACE Training Centre in Montreal
NATIONAL TEAM COACH Janusz Pawlowski
Studying Fitness and Health at EDUCATION Algonquin College
FACEBOOK Jessica Klimkait
INSTAGRAM @jessicaklimkait
TWITTER @jessicaklimkait
Photos cc Rafal Burza and Tom Taylor. For photos, click here.
JUDOCANADA.ORG - 7 JUDO CANADA JESSICA KLIMKAIT -57 KG BEST RESULTS
Born in Whitby, Ontario, she started practising Judo after seeing her father, himself a judoka, in action. She comes from the renowned 2021 World Champion Ajax Budokan Club under the leadership of Kevin Doherty. 2021 IJF World Masters Doha – 3rd She continued her development at the Toronto Regional Training Centre created in 2012 under the supervision of Pedro Guedes, then 2020 Grand Slam Budapest – 1st Provincial Coach. 2020 Grand Slam Düsseldorf – 1st In 2013, at the U18 World Championships in Miami, she became the first Canadian ever to win the title of World Champion. 2019 IJF World Masters Qingdao – 3rd In October 2016, she moved to Montreal to continue her training at the National Training Centre. 2019 Grand Slam Paris – 2nd
In 2017 she won her first medal at a Grand Slam, finishing third in 2018 IJF World Masters Guangzhou – 3rd Ekaterinburg, and continued to attain success internationally. 2018 Grand Slam Osaka – 1st In 2018, she won three Grand Prix medals and became the first Canadian in history to win the prestigious Osaka Grand Slam. She 2017 Pan-American Champion also won the bronze medal at the IJF World Masters (invitation only tournament). 2013 Cadet World Champion (52 kg) In 2019 and 2020, Jessica continued her remarkable ascent on the international scene. She was ranked first in the World Rankings For the entire list of Jessica’s results, please consult her JudoInside page. in 2020 and in June 2021 she won the World Championships in Budapest, Hungary.
Jessica will participate in her first Olympic Games as the reigning World Champion and with the number one ranking in her category in the World Rankings. Her goal is to become Olympic champion in Tokyo .
JUDOCANADA.ORG - 8 JUDO CANADA CATHERINE DATE OF BIRTH June 26, 1994 BEAUCHEMIN-PINARD WEIGHT DIVISION -63 kg HEIGHT 161 cm -63 KG HOMETOWN Saint-Hubert, Québec RESIDENCE Montréal, Québec
JUDO CLUB Club de Judo de Saint-Hubert Inc.
PERSONAL COACH Frédéric Féréal
INS-Québec -Judo Canada National TRAINING PLACE Training Centre in Montreal
NATIONAL TEAM COACH Sasha Mehmedovic
Completed a visual arts degree from Cégep Édouard-Montpetit and EDUCATION is currently pursuing her studies in accounting at the University du Québec in Montreal.
FACEBOOK Catherine B-p
INSTAGRAM @Catherine B-p
TWITTER @catherinebp94
Photos cc Rafal Burza and Tom Taylor. For photos, click here.
JUDOCANADA.ORG - 9 JUDO CANADA CATHERINE BEAUCHEMIN-PINARD -63 KG BEST RESULTS
When Catherine Beauchemin-Pinard was a child, her sister played rd soccer and her brother practised another martial art, but Catherine 2021 Grand Slam Tbilissi – 3 wanted a sport of her own. One day in class, she read something about Nicolas Gill and his passion for judo and that’s all it took for her 2020 Grand Slam Paris – 5th to know she had found what she was looking for. That’s how, at the age of nine, she started her life on the tatami. 2020 Pan American Champion
She was inspired first by Isabel Latulippe, an athlete from her own 2019 Grand Slam Ekaterinburg – 3rd club, and then by the Olympic performances of Nicolas Gill, Marie- Hélène Chisholm, and Antoine Valois-Fortier. 2019 Pan American Champion Catherine’s result includes a Junior World Championship silver medal in 2013, followed by a bronze in 2014. She is the only Canadian two- 2019 IJF World Masters Guadalajara – 5th (57 kg) time Junior World medallist. 2015 World Championships – 5th (57 kg) In 2015, she finished fifth at the World Championships. Catherine qualified for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, her great results leading 2014 Grand Slam Tyumen – 1st (57 kg) to the games lead her to be ranked top 8 in the world in 2016.
After the 2017 World Championships, Catherine moved up a weight 2014 Juniors World Championships – 3rd (57 kg) class to 63 kg. In her new category, Catherine was crowned Pan- American champion in 2019 and 2020 and won the gold medal at the nd 2021 Grand Slam Tbilisi, to name a few achievements. 2013 Junior World Championships – 2 (57 kg)
Her next goal is to step on the podium at the Tokyo Olympic Games. For the entire list of Catherine’s results, please consult her JudoInside page.
JUDOCANADA.ORG - 10 JUDO CANADA ARTHUR DATE OF BIRTH October 12, 1993 MARGELIDON WEIGHT DIVISION -73 kg HEIGHT 181 cm -73 KG HOMETOWN Paris, France
RESIDENCE Montréal, Québec
JUDO CLUB Shidokan
PERSONAL COACH Laurent Margelidon
INS-Québec -Judo Canada National TRAINING PLACE Training Centre in Montreal
NATIONAL TEAM COACH Sasha Mehmedovic
Studies Kinesiology at l’Université EDUCATION de Montréal
FACEBOOK Arthur Margelidon
INSTAGRAM @a.margelidon
TWITTER @JudoMargelidon
Photos cc Rafal Burza and Tom Taylor. For photos, click here.
JUDOCANADA.ORG - 11 JUDO CANADA ARTHUR MARGELIDON -73 KG
Arthur started judo when he was 6 years old, encouraged by his father, who himself has been a passionate judoka his entire life. Arthur enjoys the sport because it allows him to push his limits and forces him to constantly improve.
Arthur qualified for the Olympic Games in Rio in 2016. Unfortunately, he broke his wrist during training shortly before the event and could not participate in the games.
Arthur is particularly proud of his silver medal at the 2017 Grand Prix in Hohhot and for having defeated the two-time world champion and Olympic medallist Riki Nakaya.
In 2018 Arthur placed second at the IJF World Masters Guangzhou and over the next two years he won six medals at Grand Prix and Grand Slams.
His goal is to win a medal at the Tokyo Olympic Games.
BEST RESULTS
2021 Grand Slam Tbilisi – 2nd
2021 Grand Slam Antalya – 3rd
2020 Grand Slam Budapest – 3rd
2019 Grand Slam Abu Dhabi – 2nd
2019 Grand Prix Zagreb – 2nd
2018 IJF World Masters Guangzhou – 2nd
2017 Grand Slam Tokyo – 2nd
2017 Grand Prix Hohhot – 2nd
2016 Pan American Champion
2015 Pan American Games – 3rd
For the entire list of Arthur’s results, please consult his JudoInside page.
JUDOCANADA.ORG - 12 JUDO CANADA ANTOINE DATE OF BIRTH March 13, 1990 VALOIS-FORTIER WEIGHT DIVISION -81 kg HEIGHT 188 cm -81 KG HOMETOWN Beauport, Québec
RESIDENCE Montréal, Québec
JUDO CLUB Shidokan
PERSONAL COACH Nicolas Gill
INS-Québec -Judo Canada National TRAINING PLACE Training Centre in Montreal
NATIONAL TEAM COACH Nicolas Gill
Bachelor’s degree in intervention in physical activity from the Université du Québec à Montréal EDUCATION and a Specialized Graduate Diploma in Sport Management from HEC Montréal.
FACEBOOK Antoine Valois-Fortier – Judoka
INSTAGRAM @antoinevf
TWITTER @antoine_vf
Photos cc Rafal Burza and Tom Taylor. For photos, click here.
JUDOCANADA.ORG - 13 JUDO CANADA ANTOINE VALOIS-FORTIER -81 KG BEST RESULTS
Antoine started practising judo at the age of five at the Club de judo nd de Beauport. His parents thought the sport would be a healthy outlet 2020 Grand Slam Budapest – 2 for their son’s boundless energy, but they didn’t expect it to become 2020 Grand Slam Paris – 3rd Antoine’s greatest passion. 2019 World Championships – 3rd In 2008, Antoine moved to Montreal to train at the Shidokan Judo Club (former Judo Canada National Training Centre). 2019 Pan American Champion
In 2010, he stood on a World Cup podium for the first time. 2018 Pan American Champion
It was during the 2012 London Olympic Games that the world got to 2016 Pan American Champion know Antoine’s exceptional talent. In winning the Olympic bronze th medal, Antoine joined his mentor Nicolas Gill in the ranks of the 2016 Olympic Games – 7 greatest judokas in Canadian history. 2015 World Championships – 3rd
In 2014, Antoine Valois-Fortier won his first medal, silver, at the World 2014 World Championships – 2nd Championships, followed by two bronze medals in 2015 and 2019. 2012 Olympic Games – 3rd He is now more determined than ever to become an Olympic Champion. For the entire list of Antoine’s results, please consult his JudoInside page.
JUDOCANADA.ORG - 14 JUDO CANADA SHADY DATE OF BIRTH March 27, 1998 ELNAHAS WEIGHT DIVISION -100 kg HEIGHT 193 cm -100 KG HOMETOWN Alexandrie, Egypt
RESIDENCE Montréal, Québec
JUDO CLUB JCCC - Judo Kai
PERSONAL COACH Ken Fukushima
INS-Québec -Judo Canada National TRAINING PLACE Training Centre in Montreal
NATIONAL TEAM COACH Sasha Mehmedovic
FACEBOOK Shady El Nahas
INSTAGRAM @shadyelnahas
TWITTER @ShadyElNAHAS
Photos cc Rafal Burza and Tom Taylor. For photos, click here.
JUDOCANADA.ORG - 15 JUDO CANADA SHADY ELNAHAS -100 KG
Originally from Egypt, Shady is a remarkable talent. On his first appearance at a Grand Slam tournament, he won the silver medal (Osaka 2018). Since then, Shady has taken his place among the favourites of his category.
In 2019 he won five medals at IJF world tour events.
In 2021 he won his first ever Grand Slam in Tbilisi and placed th5 at the World Championships.
The two-time Pan-American Champion is aiming for the podium at the Tokyo Olympics Games.
BEST RESULTS
2021 Word Championships – 5th
2020 Grand Slam Tbilissi – 1st
2020 Grand Slam Budapest – 3rd
2019 Pan American Champion
2019 World Championships – 7th
2019 Grand Slam Abu Dhabi – 3rd
2019 Grand Slam Ekaterinbourg – 3rd
2019 Pan American Champion
2019 Grand Slam Osaka – 2nd
2018 Junior World Championships – 5th
For the entire list of Shady’s results, please consult his JudoInside page.
JUDOCANADA.ORG - 16 JUDO CANADA TEAM STAFF
NICOLAS GILL SASHA MEHMEDOVIC CEO AND HIGH PERFORMANCE COACH DIRECTOR
JANUSZ PAWŁOWSKI TIFFANY HUNTING COACH HEAD THERAPIST
JUDOCANADA.ORG JUDO CANADA Two Olympic medals, three World Championship medals – Nicolas NICOLAS Gill’s list of achievements speaks for itself. The most prolific judoka in Canadian judo history, Nicolas competed in four Olympic Games GILL and was the flag bearer for the Canadian delegation at the opening ceremony of the Athens Games, in 2004.
CEO AND HIGH After retiring as an athlete in 2005, Nicolas chose to dedicate himself to the development of high-level judokas. A proud father to Cloé and PERFORMANCE Thomas, Nicolas has been coaching the national team since 2005. He became head national coach in 2009, and he also acts as Judo DIRECTOR Canada’s High-Performance Director (HPD).
The athletes Nicolas mentors have had outstanding results on the international scene. He was the coach behind Antoine Valois-Fortier’s impressive feat when he brought home the bronze in the under 81kg category at the London Games. Antoine became the first Canadian judoka to make the Olympic podium after Nicolas Gill himself!
Since 2016 Nicolas has taken on new challenges within the Canadian judo federation as CEO, although he continues to perform the functions of the HPD.
DATE OF BIRTH April 24, 1972
HOMETOWN Montréal, Québec
RESIDENCE Montréal, Québec
JUDOCANADA.ORG - 18 JUDO CANADA Sasha was born in Pancevo, Serbia, and came to Canada in 1993, when SASHA he was eight years old. He got into judo by following the footsteps of his MEHMEDOVIC father, a judoka who for years was Sasha’s greatest mentor. A fan of contact sports and martial arts, Sasha chose to dedicate himself to judo as a way to pursue his Olympic dream. In his ten years COACH on the national team, he represented Canada in the Olympic Games twice, in the 2008 Beijing Games and in the 2012 London Games. His greatest accomplishment as an athlete was a seventh place in the World Championships in 2007. Throughout his career, he won several medals in World Cups and Grand Prix competitions.
In September 2013, soon after retiring from competing, Sasha joined the Junior national team as a coach. He is now assistant-coach to the national team.
When he is off the tatami he enjoys spending time with his family and going for walks with his dog.
DATE OF BIRTH March 18, 1985
HOMETOWN Pancevo, Serbia
RESIDENCE Montréal, Québec
JUDOCANADA.ORG - 19 JUDO CANADA Janusz Pawlowski was born July 20, 1959, in Sopot, Poland. The JANUSZ former Polish national team member attained remarkable success in his judo career, fighting in the under 65 kg category. Throughout his PAWŁOWSKI career, he was six-time Polish national champion, won three European Championship medals, was two-time Olympic medallist and won three COACH World Championship medals. Janusz hold a master’s degree from the Academy of Physical Education in Gdansk, Poland, with specialization in Judo Coaching.
In 2013 Janusz was inducted into the Poland Sport Hall of Fame.
Since 1991, Janusz has been training athletes from various backgrounds and from different countries, some of whom have competed at the highest levels, including at the Olympic Games. He helps athletes reach their full potential and achieve their best performance by using his extensive competition experience, worldwide travel and decades of coaching.
Janusz is also fluent in five languages. He has lived in Poland, Kuwait, Slovenia, and Italy before arriving in Canada in 2014, where he holds the position of Assistant National Coach at Judo Canada National Training Center in Montreal.
DATE OF BIRTH July 20, 1959
HOMETOWN Sopot, Poland
RESIDENCE Montréal, Québec
JUDOCANADA.ORG - 20 JUDO CANADA Tiffany Hunting joined Judo Canada in 2016. Previously, she was TIFFANY employed by the Institut national du sport du Québec (INS Québec), where she worked with the short-track speed skating team, among HUNTING other sports for several years, building up extensive experience in high- performance sports physiotherapy.
HEAD THERAPIST Tiffany holds a degree in Physiotherapy from McGill University, as well as a master’s degree in Human Nutrition. She is a registered member of the International Federation of Sports Physiotherapy (RISPT) and is also a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Manipulative Therapy (FCAMPT).
A passionate athlete herself, Tiffany has always enjoyed being involved with all types of sports and knew that she wanted to work with athletes, giving them her best, so that they can do the same in competition. For Tiffany, her job is to help the athlete reach their sports goals.
Hunting accompanies the best judokas in the country to the biggest international tournaments. In addition to working as a physiotherapist, she is involved in the planning and management of medical staff at Canadian tournaments. She also provides tireless support to her fellow coaches and nutritionists and is involved in the search for new partners. She has even served as media liaison when accompanying judokas to competitions.
DATE OF BIRTH September 7, 1985
HOMETOWN Cowansville, Québec
RESIDENCE Montréal, Québec
JUDOCANADA.ORG - 21 JUDO CANADA MAJOR RESULTS
CANADIAN CANADIAN OLYMPIC PARALYMPIC MEDALISTS MEDALISTS
DOUGLAS ROGERS EDDIE MORTEN 1964 Tokyo - 2nd (+80 kg) 1988 Seoul - 3rd (-71 kg)
MARK BERGER PIER MORTEN 1984 Los Angeles - 3rd (+95 kg)) 1988 Seoul - 3rd (-65 kg) 1992 Barcelona - 3rd (-71 kg) NICOLAS GILL 2000 Sydney - 3rd (-73 kg) 1992 Barcelona - 3rd (-86 kg) 2000 Sydney - 2nd (-100 kg) CANADIAN ANTOINE VALOIS-FORTIER PARAJUDO WORLD 2012 London - 3rd (-81 kg) CHAMPIONSHIPS MEDALISTS CANADIAN WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS WILLIAM MORGAN 2003 Quebec City - 3rd (-81 kg) MEDALISTS 2006 Brommat - 3rd (-81 kg)
DOUGLAS ROGERS PRISCILLA GAGNÉ 1965 Rio de Janeiro - 3rd (+80 kg) 2018 Odivelas - 3rd (-52 kg) KEVIN DOHERTY 1981 Maastricht - 3rd (-78 kg)
PHIL TAKAHASHI 1981 Maastricht - 3rd (-60 kg)
NICOLAS GILL 1993 Hamilton - 2nd (-86 kg) 1995 Chiba - 3rd (-86 kg) 1999 Birmingham - 3rd (-100 kg)
ANTOINE VALOIS-FORTIER 2014 Tcheliabinsk - 2nd (-81 kg) 2015 Astana - 3rd (-81 kg) 2019 Tokyo - 3rd (-81 kg)
CHRISTA DEGUCHI 2018 Baku - 3rd (-57 kg) 2019 Tokyo - 1st (-57 kg)
JESSICA KLIMAKIT 2021 Budapest - 1st (-57 kg)