Date of birth: June 26, 1994

Weight division: 63 kg   Height:  161 cm

Hometown: Saint-Hubert, Québec

Residence: Montréal, Québec

Judo Club: Club de Judo de Saint-Hubert inc.  Personal Coach: Frédéric Féréal

Training place: Judo Canada National Training Centre – INS-Québec

National Team Coach : Antoine Valois-Fortier

HIGHLIGHTS

• 2022 World Champion Runner-Up
• 2021 Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, bronze medallist
• 2021 Grand Slam Tbilisi, gold medallist 
• 2019 & 2020 Pan American Champion
• 2014 Grand Slam Tyumen, gold medallist (57 kg)
• 2014 Juniors World Championships, bronze medallist (57 kg)
• 2013 Junior World Championships, silver medallist (57 kg)

ATHLETE’S BIO

When Catherine Beauchemin-Pinard was a child, her sister played soccer and her brother practised another martial art, but Catherine 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 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. She was inspired first by Isabel Latulippe, an athlete from her own club, and then by the Olympic performances of Nicolas Gill, Marie-Hélène Chisholm, and Antoine Valois-Fortier. Catherine’s result includes a Junior World Championship silver medal in 2013, followed by a bronze in 2014. She is the only Canadian two-time Junior World medallist. In 2015, she finished fifth at the World Championships. Catherine qualified for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, her great results leading 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 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 2021 Grand Slam Tbilisi. Her best career results are her superb bronze medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and in 2022 the title of World Champion Runner-Up, which she earned y in Tashkent, Uzbekista where she had a perfect run to the under-63 kg big final. 

For the entire list of Catherine’s results, please consult her JudoInside page

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Date of birth: October 10, 1993

Weight division: 100 kg

Height: 183 cm

Hometown: Brampton, Ontario

Residence: Tokyo, Japan

First Judo Club: Gunma Chuohchu (Japan)

Training place: Japan Racing Association

Personal coach: Masahiro Goto

National Team Coach : Antoine Valois-Fortier 

HIGHLIGHTS

• 2022 – Runner-up World Champion
• 2021 – Pan American Champion
• 2016 – Paris Grand Slam – Silver medallist
• 2014 – Tyumen Grand Slam – Silver medallist
• 2013 – Tokyo Grand Slam – Silver medallist
• 2013 – Junior World Champion

Born in Brampton, Ontario but has lived in Japan since he was 2 years old. Kyle started practising judo in high school, at the age of 12. Quickly found that he was a natural, and that he loved the feeling of throwing his opponents to the ground. His progress has been stellar since. He placed fifth in the 2012 Tokyo Grand Slam at 19-year-old. Became Junior World Champion in the under 100 kg category in Ljubljana, Slovenia, in 2013. He reached his first major international achievement at senior level: a silver medal at the Tokyo Grand Slam. The following year brought him another silver medal, this time in Tyumen, Russia. In 2016, he climbed again the second step of the podium this time at the prestigious Paris Grand Slam and qualified for his first Olympic Games in Rio. On October 11, 2022, Kyle experienced one of the best days of his judo career at the Judo World Championships in Tashkent. The 29-year-old judoka was untouchable right through to the grand final, where he was finally bested by local hero Muzaffarbek Turoboyev. Reyes therefore departs Uzbekistan with the title of runner-up world champion. Lives in Tokyo, Japan, and trains under coach Masahiro Goto at the Japan Racing Association. His greatest dream is to win an Olympic gold.

For the entire list of Kyle’s results, please consult his JudoInside page.

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Antoine started practising judo at the age of four at the Club de judo de Beauport. His parents thought the sport would be a healthy outlet for their son’s boundless energy, but they didn’t expect it to become Antoine’s greatest passion. In 2008, Antoine moved to Montreal to train at the Shidokan Judo Club (former Judo Canada National Training Centre). It was during the 2012 London Olympic Games, where he won a bronze medal, that the world got to know Antoine’s exceptional talent. In 2014, Antoine Valois-Fortier won his first medal, silver, at the World Championships, followed by two bronze medals in 2015 and 2019. Along with his athletic career, Antoine graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Intervention in Physical Activity from the Université du Québec à Montréal and a Specialized Graduate Diploma in Sport Management from HEC Montréal. In December 2021, at 31 years old and after a remarkable career of more than 12 years on the national team, Antoine retired from competition. In January 2022 Antoine joined Judo Canada as the Senior National Coach.

Priscilla Gagné received several diagnoses for her vision before specialists discovered she had retinitis pigmentosa. However, the condition never stopped Priscilla from doing sports.

The athlete trained karate for a long time before she decided to try judo in 2008. She took an interest in the sport because of its growing international presence at Paralympic level, but she also loves the culture of judo, whose teachings can be applied both in sport and in life. After her fourth competition, Priscilla broke her foot and had to stay off the tatami until 2013.  When she started competing again, she was very committed to qualifying for her first Paralympic experience and eventually participated in Rio in 2016.

Priscilla is the first Canadian female medallist at the IBSA World Championships where she won the bronze medal in Portugal in 2018. The following year she finishes second in the IBSA Games in Fort Wayne, United States.

Priscilla attended Rhema Bible College in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Everest College in Barrie, Ontario, and now she intends to keep training and improving, so that she can honour Canada with medals from international competitions.

One of Priscilla’s idols is her coach, Nathalie Gosselin. She says she admires Nathalie’s determination, dedication, and intensity at work. She is also very grateful to Andrzej Sadej for his guidance and coaching.

After swimming and wrestling, Justin Karn took up judo at the age of 13, at the Brantford, Ontario school for the blind. The Guelph native immediately loved the sport, which requires strength, endurance, and great coordination.

Among Justin’s greatest accomplishments is ranking seventh in the -60kg category at the London Paralympic Games in 2012. As a judoka in the B3 class for athletes with a visual disability, Justin also won the bronze at the Guadalajara Parapan American Games in 2011.

In 2019, Juste placed 7th at the IBSA Games in USA.

His objective is to compete at the Tokyo Paralympic Games in 2020, where he hopes to get his hands on a medal.

Justin, who trains under Andrzej Sadej at the Institut national du sport, has many passions outside of judo. He is learning Swedish and he loves cooking and playing the guitar. He is also planning to go back to school sometime in the near future.

Sasha was born in Pancevo, Serbia, and came to Canada in 1993, when he was eight years old. He got into judo by following the footsteps of his 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 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, shortly after retiring from competition, Sasha joined the Judo Canada coaching staff. Sasha is an assistant national junior/U23 coach.

Janusz Pawlowski was born July 20, 1959, in Sopot, Poland. The former Polish national team member attained remarkable success in his judo career, fighting in the under 65 kg category. Throughout his career, he was six-time Polish national champion, won three European Championship medals, was two-time Olympic medallist and won three 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.

Alexandre started judo at the Varennes Judo Club when he was 6 years old. In his youth, his parents introduced him to all the sports that the city of Varennes offered. Among all the sports he tried, Judo was his favorite and the one he was passionate about.

From a young age, Alexandre travelled with the Quebec team around Canada to compete in the national championships and it was these first experiences that gave him the desire to continue judo.

Alexander became a member of the national team at the age of 20 and participated in the London Olympic Games in 2012.

Since January 2017, Alexandre has joined the national team as a coach for athletes under the age of 18 who attend the Judo Canada National Training Center (CEN) in Montreal on a part-time basis.

Date of birth: October 29, 1995

Height: 161 cm

Hometown: Shiojiri, Nagano, Japan

Residence: Kofu, Yamanashi, Japan

First Judo Club: Seishinkan Judo Club, Japan

Current Judo Club: Lethbridge Kyodokan Judo Club, Alberta

Training place : Yamanashi Gakuin University, Japan

National Team Coach: Antoine Valois-Fortier

HIGHLIGHTS

• 2022 IJF World Masters Champion
• 2019, 2023 – 2 times World Champion
• 2018 World Championships bronze medallist
• 2018, 2019 & 2020 Grand Slam Paris Champion
• 2018, 2019 & 2023 3 times Pan American Champion
• 9 times Grand Slam Champion

For the entire list of Christa’s results, please consult her JudoInside page

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Date of birth: March 27, 1998

Weight division: 100 kg  Height: 192 cm

Hometown: Alexandria, Egypt

Residence: Montreal, Quebec

Judo Club : Jccc – Judo Kai  Personal Coach : Ken Fukushima

Training place: Judo Canada National Training Centre – INS-Québec

National Team Coach : Antoine Valois-Fortier

HIGHLIGHTS

• 2021 – Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, 5th
• 2021 – World Championships, 5th
• 2021 – Grand Slam Tbilisi, Gold medalist
• 2019 & 2020 – Pan American Champion
• 2019 – Grand Slam Abu Dhabi & Ekaterinbourg, Bronze medalist
• 2018 – Grand Slam Osaka, Silver medalist

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 5 medals at IJF world tour events. In 2021 he won his first ever Grand Slam in Tbilisi and placed 5th at the world championships. His best career result was his superb performance 5th at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

For the entire list of  Shady’s results, please consult his JudoInside page

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Since the 1990s, Andrzej Sadej has been one of the iconic faces of Canadian judo. His perseverance and dedication have enabled the advancement of judo in the country on many levels. He started as a national coach from 1990 to 1996 and then moved on to the administration of Judo Canada. His desire has always been to lead Judo Canada to the forefront of international competition. His administrative successes include restructuring the human resources of the Judo Canada office to optimize the organization and the successful transition of the NCCP program. He drafts and implements the long-term athlete development model, always pairing the management of national tournaments. In 2014, Andrzej returned to prominent tatami mats as the national coach of the Paralympic program for the blind athletes of Judo Canada. It gives a second breath to this program. In 2018, Priscilla Gagné became the first female world medalist of the Paralympic program in Canadian judo by winning bronze in Portugal. Once again, Andzrej contributed in an exceptional way! Andrzej Sadej has definitely revitalized Canadian judo with passion and devotion, which gives it a place among the builders