Defending champion Christa Deguchi settled for silver at the world judo championships Monday. Deguchi (white) and Sumiya Dorjusren of Mongolia (blue) compete during the women's -57 kg final match at the Grand Slam Paris 2020 Judo tournament, in Paris, France, Saturday, Feb. 8, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Kamil Zihnioglu
ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates – Defending champion Christa Deguchi settled for silver at the world judo championships Monday.
The 28-year-old from Lethbridge, Alta., fell to Mimi Huh of South Korea in the women’s 57-kilogram division final.
Ranked No. 1 in the world, Deguchi earned her fourth career medal at the worlds.
Teammate Jessica Klimkait of Whitby, Ont., earned bronze in the discipline. The 27-year-old Klimkait, who’s ranked second in the world, lost to Huh in the semifinals before defeating Timna Nelson Levy of Israel to reach the podium.
Despite being ranked as the top athletes in their category, only one of Deguchi or Klimkait will represent Canada at this summer’s Paris Olympics. Only one athlete per nation can compete in a single category. Judo Canada says the qualification process ends June 23.
Klimkait edged Deguchi for the Olympic spot at the Tokyo Games in 2021.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 20, 2024.
