Before the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, Christa Deguchi was the clear favorite to win the gold medal in the women’s 57 kilogram weight class. On Monday, Deguchi made Canadian sports history by becoming the first Canadian judoka to win gold.
Deguchi is already an Olympic champion at the age of 28. That is the only thing missing from her remarkable resume. Deguchi had previously won the gold medal at the 2019 World Judo Championships in Tokyo and the gold medal at the 2023 World Judo Championships in Doha. Deguchi’s other achievements include 11 International Judo Federation Grand Slam events, four IJF Grand Prix events and the 2022 World Judo Masters in Jerusalem.
At the Olympics, Deguchi defeated silver medalist Huh Mi-mi of South Korea in the final. Huh took three penalties, and if you get three penalties in a single judo match, you lose. France’s Sarah-Leonie Cysique and Haruka Funakubo won the bronze medal.
In addition to defeating Huh in the final, Deguchi also defeated Kristine Jimenez in the round of 16, Maria Perisic of Serbia in the quarterfinals and Cysique in the semifinals. Huh came to the Olympics as the reigning world champion, having defeated Deguchi in the gold medal match of the 2024 World Championship in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
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