How a close-knit support group led Christa Deguchi back to judo — and an Olympic title
Japanese-born judoka became 1st Canadian to win Olympic gold in the sport after almost walking away in 2021
Two days after winning an Olympic gold medal, Christa Deguchi doesn't feel any different.
After a whirlwind 48 hours doing interviews and posing for pictures with her new golden hardware, Deguchi certainly feels special. But she doesn't feel like anything has changed.
She's already trying to reset her mind to prepare to compete in the judo mixed team entry on Saturday. The competition begins at 5:30 a.m. ET. You can watch Olympic coverage on CBC TV, CBC Gem, the CBC Olympics app and CBC Olympics website.
"I'm just me and I do have a gold medal, but I don't think I'm the superstar," Deguchi said in an interview with CBC Sports.
But Deguchi, who is ranked No. 1 in the world in her weight class, is a superstar, and one who made history on Monday when she became the first Canadian to earn an Olympic gold medal in judo. It was also Canada's first gold medal of these Games.
Deguchi did it by defeating South Korean Huh Mimi in the under-57 kilogram final. It was Deguchi's fourth bout of the day inside Champ-de-Mars Arena, and a rematch against the judoka who defeated her for world championship gold in May.
WATCH | How Deguchi won judo gold in those final sudden-death moments:
Deguchi didn't realize she won gold until she left the mat and her coach congratulated her. When she pictured that moment, she thought she would cry or celebrate.
But what she felt initially was relief and pain. After the match, everything started to hurt.
And then, she felt pride. As she stood on the podium on Monday and looked at the maple leaf after her win, the 28-year-old felt tears well up in her eyes.
Born and raised in Japan, Deguchi decided to compete for Canada in 2017. Her father, Tom Taylor, is from Winnipeg, and she said her home always felt Canadian growing up.
"There were a lot of things going on inside my heart," Deguchi said about her moment on the podium. "I was raised in Japan but still, I am Canadian, and I'm very happy to be part of Canada."
'I'm happy I didn't quit'
It was a gold medal that might not have come had Deguchi decided to step away from the sport after she failed to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics.
Ahead of those Games, there was only one spot available for a Canadian judoka in the under-57kg weight class and Jessica Klimkait grabbed it.
The loss left Deguchi feeling very low. She stepped away from the sport for a couple of months and wasn't sure if she would ever come back.
It wasn't until after she met with her childhood judo coach, friends and family, and her national team coach, Antoine Valois-Fortier, that Deguchi decided to ease herself back into the sport.
She started by entering small competitions and slowly building back her confidence with Valois-Fortier's support. She knew the road to the Olympics would be hard, having been down it once. But she decided it was one worth taking again.
"It was tough to come back again, but I just believed in myself," she said.
"I'm happy I didn't quit there."
Not only did Deguchi make it to Paris, but she got to do it alongside younger sister, Kelly, who took up the sport at age four because she wanted to follow her big sister. Kelly lost in the Round of 32 in the under-52kg weight class on Sunday.
Deguchi predicts gold for teammate Elnahas
Deguchi hopes the medal will help increase judo's profile in Canada and help more people discover the sport.
"Judo is a sport, martial arts, but at the same time it is meant to build your heart and your inside," she said.
"If someone wants to learn about martial arts and try to become a good person, I think judo is a good sport, and I hope there will be more medallists in the future for judo from Canada."
Her teammate, Shady Elnahas, will compete in the men's under-100kg category on Thursday. The Round-of-16 match begins at 5:30 a.m ET, as Elnahas looks to move past a fifth-place finish in Tokyo. Elnahas is ranked third in the world in his weight class.
WATCH | Deguchi describes journey to Olympic gold on The National:
Elnahas was one of the first people to speak to Deguchi after she decided to compete for Canada and is someone whose kindness has left an imprint on her.
She believes he has a good chance to win gold.
"I want to see his smile, holding gold," she said.
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