Published October 24, 2023, 5:02 pm ET
FILE – Canada’s Jessica Klimkait waves to the stands after receiving the bronze medal in the women’s 57kg judo competition at the Tokyo Olympics on Monday, July 26, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. Jessica Klimkait defeated Christa Deguchi on Tuesday at the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam judo tournament in an all-Canadian under-57 kilogram final. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld, file
ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – Jessica Klimkait defeated Christa Deguchi in an all-Canadian under-57 kilogram final at the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam judo tournament on Tuesday.
The game went into overtime, where Klimkait, of Whitby, Ont., remained patient in her attacks until Deguchi received a third penalty for lack of willingness to fight.
It was the third meeting this year between Deguchi, the two-time and reigning under-57kg world champion, and 2021 champion Klimkait.
Klimkait won the Grand Slam in Tel Aviv in February, while Deguchi, who previously competed for her native Japan before moving to her father’s native Canada, won their showdown in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia in June.
“It was a very close, very tactical fight between the two best judokas under 57 kilograms on the planet,” said Canadian coach Antoine Valois-Fortier. “The win is great for Jessica’s points and also for her confidence.”
In the under 52kg weight class, Kelly Deguchi, Christa’s sister, lost her first and only fight of the day to Ariane Toro Soler of Spain.
Catherine Beauchemin-Pinard (under 63 kg) of Montreal and Francois Gauthier-Drapeau of Alma, Que. (under 81 kg) were scheduled to compete on Wednesday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 24, 2023.
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