First Place for Charlie Thibault
Laurence Gagnon Captures Under-57 kg Silver
Montréal, January 31, 2026 – Canada’s female judokas shone at the Belgian Open on Saturday, winning one gold and one silver medal.
Photo Judo Canada
Charlie Thibault and Laurence Gagnon
Charlie Thibault clinched first place in the under-70 kg category, while Laurence Gagnon finished second in the under-57 kg group.
“Charlie was never really in any danger. She took complete control of all the sequences. It’s safe to say that she had a really great day,” said Canadian coach Antoine Bouchard.
Thanks to her four wins in as many bouts, the athlete from Pierreville will return home with the gold medal.
Meanwhile, Gagnon ended the competition with a record of four wins and two losses.
“Although she lost one of the matches in her pool, she nevertheless placed second, which allowed her to advance to the finals. It’s pretty rare for her to have six matches in one day. Being able to bounce back from a loss and advance all the way to the finals: to me, that’s a successful day,” noted Bouchard.
In the under-52 kg division, Rima Bourihane ended the day with two wins and two losses. “This was one of her first international competitions, so the more experience she gains, the better she’ll do,” explained Bouchard.
Carla Van Zyl (-63 kg) was limited to one win in three bouts.
None of the male athletes were redrawn.
“All four of them had opportunities to throw their opponents and quickly win their bouts, but unfortunately, they all ran out of steam and were not redrawn,” said Bouchard.
In the under-73 kg category, Justin Lemire ended the day with two wins and one loss. In the same weight class, Yanis Hachemi and Félix Mercier-Ross notched up one win and one loss each, while Frédéric de Cardaillac finished the day with one loss and no wins.
In the under-90 kg group, George Madumba lost both his bouts.
Canada’s judokas will be back in action on Sunday for the senior events.
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Written by Sportcom for Judo Canada
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