At the Canadian Open Championships on Friday, the U18 and veteran athletes were in the spotlight at Montréal’s Centre Pierre-Charbonneau. Last year, Quebec’s Melody Grenier (-52 kg) completed a sweep at the same event, winning gold medals in both the U16 and U18 age categories. On Friday, she picked up where she left off last year, once again claiming the top spot on the podium in the U18 category.

Photo Judo Canada
Melody Grenier and Lowan Le Bris

In the big final, she was pitted against Alberta’s Isla Diesmos, an opponent she has faced several times in the past. Her objective was to maintain her composure, so that she could carefully follow the game plan she and her coach had drawn up together.

“Even though I’ve beaten her in the past, I knew I had to take her seriously. I know she works hard and that she’s very good. Still, I was feeling very optimistic going into the final. I knew I had done everything possible to be well-prepared for that fight,” explained the gold medallist.

Earlier today, Grenier ousted Emereese Kurpjuweite of Alberta, Kenzie Woods of Saskatchewan, and Jaymi Hinchey of the Yukon in back-to-back bouts to claim her ticket to the final.

Having had a successful day, Grenier is now focusing on the senior competition that will take place on Sunday, where she hopes to once again earn a spot on the podium.

“It felt great to be able to defend my title. It’s proof that all my hard work has been worth it. This medal represents all the effort I put into training, and into my bouts.”

“The senior competition will definitely be harder. My main goal will be simply to fight well, but of course, I’d love to win another medal. I’d be happy with any medal,” concluded Grenier.

Last year, British Columbia’s Lowan Le Bris was crowned under-60 kg champion in the U16 division, in addition to winning a bronze medal in the U18 age group.

This year, Le Bris has moved into the under-66 kg weight class. In today’s big final, he dispatched of Ontario’s Shon Tansky with a decisive victory to claim the U18 title he so coveted.

“I had a well-formulated strategy for the final, and it worked out well. I wanted to keep moving throughout the bout, while also maintaining a certain distance from my opponent. I moved around a lot, and I waited for the right moment to launch attacks that were hard to counter. I often fight Tansky in the finals, and they’re always good matches,” said Le Bris.

Although he is pleased with today’s victory, Le Bris still has work to do, as he will be participating in the senior competition on Sunday. His objective? To win another gold medal this weekend.

“I’m very happy with today’s win, but I still want more. I want to take it all the way and win the senior competition, too. I want it all!”

Thanks to today’s wins, Grenier, Le Bris, and all the other U18 gold medallists will have the opportunity to compete at the Cadet World Championships in Lima, Peru, at the end of August. And while both Grenier and Le Bris are excited to have the chance to showcase their skills on the international stage, they also have very specific goals.

“I have a lot of longer-term goals, and the cadet worlds in Lima are one of them, of course. I really want to win there. I have my sights set on the top of the podium again,” said Le Bris.

“I was there last year, and I realized that the competition level is very high. This year, I don’t want to put too much pressure on myself. Of course, I’d love to go as far as possible, but to be honest, I’d be very proud of myself if I won even just one match,” concluded Grenier.

The Canadian Open Championships will continue on Saturday in Montréal, with the U16 and U21 competitions.

Watch the live webcast to catch all the action!

For the competition results, click here.