Abbotsford will be the focus of the Judo BC community in October, as the Abbotsford Judo Club will be hosting a fall training camp with some of the biggest Canadian names in the sport.
The fall camp runs from Oct. 1 to 3 at Abbotsford’s St John Brebeuf Regional Secondary School, which is located at 2747 Townline Road.
Special guests at the camp include 2020 Tokyo Summer Games bronze medallists Jessica Klimkait and Catherine Beauchemin-Pinard, as well as Tokyo Summer Games Paralympian silver medallist Priscilla Gagne.
Klimkait, a 24-year-old Whitby, Ont. native, became the first Canadian woman to ever win an Olympic medal in judo in Tokyo. She defeated Kaja Kajzer of Slovenia to take home the bronze in the 57 kilograms division.
Beauchemin-Pinard, a 27-year-old Montreal native, won all her matches in the 63 kg class before losing to world champion and eventual Olympic champion Clarisse Agbegnenou of France in the semifinals. Beauchemin-Pinard then won the bronze medal defeating Anriquelis Barrios of Venezuela.
Gagne, a 35-year-old Granby, Que. native, advanced to the finals in Tokyo, but then came up short to Algeria’s Cherine Abdellaoui in the gold-medal bout. Gagne is partially blind and was the flag-bearer for the Canadian Paralympic team.
The primary focus of this camp will be to help prepare athletes for the 2021-22 competitive season and is recommended for athletes competing in the U16 age category or higher plus identified 2nd year U14 athletes.
Proof of vaccination is required for all participants ages 12 and up.
For more information on the event, visit judobc.ca. For more information on the AJC, visit abbotsfordjudo.com.
