Canadians aim to flip more medals

Years of high-performance culture and recent success have judokas poised to spring a surprise

- GILBERT NGABO

Swimming, athletics and basketball grab most of the headlines in this country during the Olympics, but there's one under-the-radar sport where Canada could shine when the medals are handed out at the Paris Games.

Canada has enjoyed a run of success in judo with a number of athletes winning medals in international competitions, including two bronze at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. Canadians have won seven judo medals overall (two silver and five bronze) at the Olympics and have at least three good chances at adding to that haul in Paris.

"I have very high expectations for this team," said head coach Antoine Valois-Fortier, who added "this is probably the best team ever for Judo Canada."

"I don't like to put a number on it, but a lot of (our athletes) did it in the past and they are in (good) position where they are seeded, they fought for medals in world championships and other big events. So I'm very confident we can come back with multiple medals."