Deguchi Wins Grand Slam Medal

By Fight Sports Feb 13, 2020 Last updated Feb 13, 2020

At 24, Christa Deguchi has created quite a name for herself. A gold medalist following the 2019 World Judo Championships, the star from Canada wanted to leave a lasting impression before she left Paris. She did so and more, winning gold in the Paris Grand Slam’s -57kg final.

Golden Girl ! 🥇@10CMD29 #champion #JudoParis #judo #judocanada pic.twitter.com/t1PHS9ybE1

— Judo Canada (@JudoCanada) February 8, 2020

Deguchi first beat Sarah Leonie (FRA), number ten in the world, via the maximum score. She got a bye to the second round in Pool A, then beat Romania’s Loredana Ohai, the Netherland’s Sanne Verhagen and Israel’s Timna Nelson Levy. Following those wins, Deguchi took care of Leonie before catching former world champion Dorjsuren Sumiya with a tomoe-nage for a waza-ari score.

This was Deguchi’s third medal in a row in as many bouts. She also won gold in Russia in 2019. As a result, her path towards the 2020 Summer Games in Tokyo is as clear as ever. Based in Japan, Deguchi, the owner of red backpatch, is hoping to take over the entire judo world as a member of Canada’s team.