Judoka Christa Deguchi won Canada’s first gold medal at the Paris Olympics. A historic medal since it is also Canada’s first Olympic gold medal in judo.
Christa Deguchi defeated South Korea’s Huh Mi-mi in the -57kg final on Monday. The two judokas held their own throughout the bout, but it was during overtime that Huh Mi-mi made the decisive mistake, giving Deguchi the victory.
Both visibly exhausted after more than 6 minutes of combat, they had each received two shidos (faults) and were thus just one error away from defeat. A false attack where the South Korean practically fell at the feet of the Canadian and signed her ticket to silver.
The defense reigned throughout the fight, leading to penalties for passivity on both sides. The Canadian’s attacks — both on the ground and standing — failed to break through Huh Mi-mi’s guard.
In the semi-finals, Christa Deguchi won against Frenchwoman Sarah-Léonie Cysique, who won silver at the Tokyo Games in 2020. In a fight of rare length, almost 9 minutes, it was also the shidos that gave the Canadian victory.
Sarah-Léonie Cysique did not leave without a medal, however, she won bronze against Georgian Eteri Liparteliani. A victory by ippon that left the Frenchwoman smiling.
Deguchi is ranked number one in the world in the -57 kg category. She is also the most decorated Canadian judoka with two world championship titles, in 2019 and 2023, and her second position at the 2024 World Championship.
This is Canada’s fourth medal at the Paris 2024 Games.
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