According to coach Antoine Valois-Fortier, this is one of the best performances of his young international judoka career among seniors.
Antoine Valois-Fortier did not go through four paths to comment on the day of François Gauthier-Drapeau, bronze medalist in the under 81 kg, Sunday, at the prestigious Grand Slam of Paris. According to the coach, this is one of the best performances of his young international career among seniors.
The Quebec judoka completed his tournament by winning one of two bronze finals, where he faced Vedat Albayrak, seventh in the world rankings of the International Judo Federation (IJF).
Although he had never beaten the Turk in three games before, Gauthier-Drapeau was not let it get in the way and he launched many attacks from the start. It all paid dividends after a little more 90 seconds into the fight, when he scored an ippon to slip away with the win.
It was truly a wonderful day! Not only did he win a bronze medal, but he managed to do it against a very good opponent. It demonstrates very well his progress in recent months and it should not be surprising to see him on the podium even more often.
Antoine Valois-Fortier, coach of François Gauthier-Drapeau
Earlier on Sunday, wins against the Spaniard José Maria Mendiola Izquieta, the Kazakh Abylaikhan Zhubanazar and the Austrian Shamil Borchashvili allowed Gauthier-Drapeau to reach the quarter-finals.
The Canadian then came up against a Timo Cavelius in full possession of his means. The German judoka first scored a waza-ari, before adding it a few moments later with an ippon to continue on the board. He eventually ended up on the second step of the podium following a loss in the grand final against Georgian Tato Grigalashvili.
“It all happened at the start of the fight, when the German took the lead, analyzed Valois-Fortier. Then it was just a game of cat and mouse. François took his risk at the right time, but he was unfortunately countered. »
Gauthier-Drapeau then rolled up his sleeves in the repechage to defeat the Portuguese Joao Fernando before finishing this Grand Slam in style against Albayrak. “Those are two very big victories for François,” continued the Maple Leaf pilot about his protege.
“He had never beaten the Portuguese either and you can see right away that he has taken the lead tactically. He was already one of the best athletes in the category at the physical level and he is showing that he will also be one of the best at the tactical level. In any case, he has not finished demonstrating his talent,” concluded Valois-Fortier.
El Nahas cannot imitate his teammate
Shady El Nahas also stepped on the tatami in the last time slot of the competition, during a duel against Israeli Peter Paltchik for a bronze medal in the under 100 kg category.
The 24-year-old Ontarian was quick to demonstrate his intentions, throwing his rival from the first minute of hostilities to score a waza-ari and take the lead. El Nahas then focused on his defense and that’s when the tide turned in favor of Paltchik.
The latter increased the pressure on the Canadian, who first received a shido, then was surprised a few moments later by a projection. The officials then confirmed the ippon and, at the same time, the third place of the Israeli.
I felt good in control at the start of the fight, because I knew I was able to throw it. I had done it at the Olympics and I managed to do it quickly today too. On the other hand, I decided to minimize the risks thereafter and I was very defensive. It’s not my style normally and I was surprised. It’s a shame, but it’s part of the sport.
Shady El Nahas
It was a second straight loss for the Torontonian who bowed out to eventual silver medalist Dzhafar Kostoev of the United Arab Emirates in the semifinals.
“I beat him in Abu Dhabi last October and I don’t know what he’s done since, but he was very solid today. I’m definitely going to ask him about his gym workout routine! joked the one who will still remember positive things from his time in the French capital, starting with his streak of three victories at the start of the tournament.
After enjoying a bye in the first round, El Nahas scored ippon wins over Britain’s Rhys Thompson and India’s Avtar Singh, before reserving the same fate for Uzbek and reigning world champion Muzaffarbek Turoboyev.
“It felt good to win against Turoboyev,” said El Nahas. He beat Kyle Reyes and me at worlds, so it’s good to get some revenge. In the end, it’s not necessarily the desired result because I’m still going for the gold, but it’s another good experience to learn how to manage fights better. »
Dutchman Michael Korrel took the top step of the podium at the end of the day, while Azeri Zelym Kotsoiev won the other bronze final in the under 100 kg category
Also in action on Sunday, Étienne Briand (-81 kg) and Marc Deschênes (+100 kg) both began their journey with a victory in the first round of their respective categories, before losing in the second round.
Briand suffered the defeat against the Japanese Kenya Kohara, while his compatriot admitted defeat against the Azeri Ushangi Kokauri, seventh at the end of the tournament.
The next IJF Grand Slam will be presented from February 16 to 18, in Tel Aviv, Israel, where Canada will be represented by a dozen athletes. In the meantime, note that five representatives of the maple leaf will be in action at the European Open in Sofia, Bulgaria, next weekend.