(Abu Dhabi) Canadian Jessica Klimkait defeated her compatriot Christa Deguchi in overtime in the under 57 kilogram final at the Abu Dhabi Judo Grand Slam on Tuesday.
The representatives of the maple leaf, who know each other very well, engaged in a duel that had the appearance of a great chess match, while each move was well calculated so as not to leave an opening. At the start of overtime, Deguchi had two “shidos”, compared to just one on Klimkait’s side.
The Ontarian took advantage of this slight advantage to remain patient and cautious in her attacks, before finally causing a third penalty to Deguchi for non-combativity.
“It was a very close and very tactical fight,” said the head coach of the Canadian judo team, Antoine Valois-Fortier. It’s a good victory for Jessica in terms of points and for her confidence as well. »
This was the third final in the under-57kg category between Klimkait and Deguchi this season. Klimkait won in Tel Aviv, Israel, in February, while Deguchi emerged victorious from the most recent clash in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, in June.
To reach the top of the podium, Klimkait took advantage of a bye in the first round before successively beating Azerbaijani judoka Fidan Alizada, Russian Daria Kurbonmamadova and German Seija Ballhaus.
For her part, Deguchi got the better of the French Ophélie Vellozzi, the British Lele Neirne and the German Pauline Starke before crossing swords with Klimkait in the final.
“Both (Klimkait and Deguchi) had a great day winning close fights in the semifinals. They showed great strength of character and they prove that they are still above the competition in several aspects,” added Valois-Fortier.
In the under 52 kg category, Kelly Deguchi lost in the first round to the Spaniard Ariane Toro Soler.
The Abu Dhabi Grand Slam will continue on Wednesday. Quebecers Catherine Beauchemin-Pinard (under 63 kg) and François Gauthier-Drapeau (under 81 kg) will then be in action.
