Canadian Christa Deguchi triumphs at Masters Tournament

JERUSALEM — Canadian judoka Christa Deguchi won the gold medal in the under 57 kilograms category at the Masters Tournament on Tuesday.

In the grand final, Deguchi faced Frenchwoman and Tokyo Olympics silver medalist Sarah Léonie Cysique. The duel was fiercely contested, so extra time was needed to decide the winner. Deguchi finally managed to win after his opponent had to withdraw due to injury.

Earlier in the day, Deguchi, who is a native of Japan but trains in Lethbridge, Alta., needed just 26 seconds to defeat Germany’s Pauline Starke in the second round. Deguchi had received a bye in the first round.

She defeated Japan’s Tsukasa Yoshida in the quarter-finals, then South Korea’s Mimi Huh in the semi-finals.

This is Deguchi’s fourth gold medal in 2022. She has also won titles at the Zagreb Grand Prix, the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, and the Baku Judo Grand Slam.

“It’s probably Christa’s best performance since her world championship title in 2019,” said coach Antoine Valois-Fortier.

Deguchi’s sister, Kelly, was eliminated in the first round in the under 52 kilogram category.