Canada's Jessica Klimkait wins gold at judo Grand Slam in Budapest
CBC Sports | Posted: October 23, 2020 5:48 PM | Last Updated: October 23, 2020
23-year-old reaches top of podium in 57-kg category
Judo's return to competition amid the coronavirus pandemic worked out well for Canada's Jessica Klimkait.
The 23-year-old defeated Helene Receveaux of France to capture gold in the 57-kilogram category at the Grand Slam competition in Budapest, Hungary, on Friday.
Klimkait needed just 81 seconds to topple her opponent with her fourth ippon out of four.
It was the third Grand Slam win for Klimkait, from Whitby, Ont., who lives and trains at the national facility in Montreal.
WATCH | Klimkait wins Grand Slam gold in Hungary:
Klimkait previously reached the top of the podium in Osaka in November 2018 and in Dusseldorf this past February.
Klimkait entered the bout ranked second in the world, behind fellow Canadian and 2019 world champion Christa Deguchi of the same weight class.
The compatriots are in a battle of sorts as countries can only send one competitor from each weight class to the Olympics — meaning one of the two will miss out on Tokyo.