Judo brings sense of family to Ukrainian teen living in Nova Scotia

Fresh from winning gold in the under-18 division at Judo Canada's Open National Championships in Montreal last weekend, Sasha Kaplin said being part of a Nova Scotia team has been a big part of his success.

The 16-year-old Ukrainian refugee moved to Nova Scotia with his family in April 2022, two months after Russia invaded the country.

Kaplin said Nova United Martial Arts in Halifax has been a second family to him.

"In [a] family, you help each other," he said. "They say we need you? I say, 'OK, no problem.' And if I need them they will help me, too."

He said his first thought right after winning his gold medal in Montreal was that he was one step closer to going to the world championships.

Jason Scott, the owner of Nova United Martial Arts and coach of Judo Nova Scotia, echoed Kaplin's view about the importance of belonging to a team.

"It's a big thing in judo," he said. "Without the backing of his teammates, I feel he wouldn't be as strong as he is today."

Scott said he expected Kaplin to win gold in Montreal, but his performance went beyond even those lofty expectations.

Kaplin was unable to be part of the Nova Scotia team at the Canada Games in P.E.I. this year because athletes are required to be either permanent residents or Canadian citizens to participate.

Scott said Kaplin is able to compete in national championships because he has been a registered member of Judo Canada for over a year.

He said Judo Canada wrote a letter to the International Judo Federation to allow him to compete for Canada in international events. 

Scott said Kaplin has already competed in one international competition in Germany and has qualified for the World Cadet Judo Championships in Croatia in August. That event is for athletes 18 and under.

"This is a really big deal for Sasha and judo in Nova Scotia and our NUMA club," Scott said. "It's a pretty good accomplishment for everybody."

Kaplin is still unable to compete in events in the U.S. since he can't obtain a visa due to his status in Canada, Scott said. 

Looking to the future, Scott said, the hope is for Kaplin to be part of Canada's Olympic judo team.

Kaplin said he trains for about 20 hours a week and wants to be a surgeon one day.

He understands that qualifying for the Olympic team won't be easy.

"I need time for the Olympics," he said. "You have to train, train, train, train and again train."