Team Canada's Christa Deguchi won the gold medal in the women’s judo final match on Monday, marking Canada’s first Olympic gold medal at the 2024 Games. This is the first time Canada has ever won gold in the competition. In total, Team Canada has so far won one gold, one silver and two bronze medals. Japanese-born Deguchi, 28, beat out South Korea's Huh Mimi in sudden death overtime after four minutes of no score. Huh earlier in May defeated Deguchi at the world judo championships.About two minutes into overtime, Deguchi got her second penalty of the match. Huh also garnered two penalties in the match — in judo, if an athlete clocks three penalties in one match, their opponent automatically wins. Huh took a third penalty during OT, of the “golden score,” and Deguchi then became an Olympic champ. .Earlier on Monday Deguchi defeated France's Sarah-Léonie Cysique to advance to the gold-medal round in the under 57-kg category at Arena Champ-de-Mars. In that match, Deguchi also defeated Cysique in sudden death overtime. Deguchi in 2019 made history as Canada’s first judo world champion. In 2023, she won the world title for a second time. Albeit, she has had some close competition over the years from fellow Canadian Jessica Klimkait of Whitby, ON, who took home bronze in the 2024 world championship. Klimkait beat Deguchi in claiming the one spot on Team Canada for 2021 Games in Tokyo, where she won the bronze medal.
Team Canada's Christa Deguchi won the gold medal in the women’s judo final match on Monday, marking Canada’s first Olympic gold medal at the 2024 Games. This is the first time Canada has ever won gold in the competition. In total, Team Canada has so far won one gold, one silver and two bronze medals. Japanese-born Deguchi, 28, beat out South Korea's Huh Mimi in sudden death overtime after four minutes of no score. Huh earlier in May defeated Deguchi at the world judo championships.About two minutes into overtime, Deguchi got her second penalty of the match. Huh also garnered two penalties in the match — in judo, if an athlete clocks three penalties in one match, their opponent automatically wins. Huh took a third penalty during OT, of the “golden score,” and Deguchi then became an Olympic champ. .Earlier on Monday Deguchi defeated France's Sarah-Léonie Cysique to advance to the gold-medal round in the under 57-kg category at Arena Champ-de-Mars. In that match, Deguchi also defeated Cysique in sudden death overtime. Deguchi in 2019 made history as Canada’s first judo world champion. In 2023, she won the world title for a second time. Albeit, she has had some close competition over the years from fellow Canadian Jessica Klimkait of Whitby, ON, who took home bronze in the 2024 world championship. Klimkait beat Deguchi in claiming the one spot on Team Canada for 2021 Games in Tokyo, where she won the bronze medal.
