Montréal, March 7, 2025 – Just recently, Jessica Klimkait had to face the unknown. Specifically, it was at the Baku Grand Slam—her first tournament since the 2024 World Championships— where she was competing in the under-63 kg weight category for the very first time. Needless to say, she rose to the challenge: She won the gold medal.
Klimkait, one of the most well-known ambassadors of Canadian judo, had a stellar run in her former weight class of under-57 kg. And although it would be very difficult to sum up her inspiring career, the following are some highlights: A bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympic Games, one World Championship title and three World Championships bronze medals, twenty Grand Slam podium finishes, and a gold medal and three bronze at the Masters Tournament.
Nevertheless, the talented Canadian athlete felt some jitters as the Baku Grand Slam approached. It was something she had not experienced for many years.
“I had a lot of unanswered questions. I didn’t know how I would fit into the category,” she explained. “I wasn’t worried about my abilities, but I had been competing in the under-57 kg category for almost ten years, and I knew all the other competitors inside and out. It had become routine, and now I have to start all over again. This tournament was a starting point for me, to see how my opponents reacted and to get to know their [judo] styles.”
In order to prepare, Klimkait analyzed numerous videos and attended a training camp in Paris, which allowed her to test herself against other competitors in the under-63 kg weight class.
At the tournament in Azerbaijan, Klimkait began her day by disposing of Brazil’s Rafaela Silva and Austria’s Lubjana Piovesana. She then ousted internationally fifth-ranked Natalia Kropska of Poland, before defeating Japan’s Minami Aono in the final. Although it was a promising start to what Klimkait has described as “an exciting challenge,” she will not allow herself to lower her guard or slow her pace!
“It felt good to leave Baku without all the doubts I had been experiencing lately,” said Klimkait, whose confidence continued to grow as the tournament progressed. “Knowing I can do well is very encouraging. It’s a great starting point, but the fact is, I only beat four girls in the category. There are a lot more I’ll have to beat if I want to stay ahead. It’s good information, but it won’t change my approach to training.”
Klimkait has finished on the podium at every single one of her individual competitions since February 2020, and her latest win extended her streak to an impressive 23 consecutive international medals.
A timely change
Despite having moved up a weight division, the Ontarian now feels much lighter when she trains. That is because a huge weight fell from her shoulders when she decided to move from the under-57 kg category to the under-63 kg category.
“It had become too difficult. It was affecting my personal life and my physical and mental health. Before the Olympic qualification process was even over, I knew that if I was going to continue to compete in judo [after the Olympics], I couldn’t stay in the under-57 kg weight class,” said Klimkait.
The pressure to cut weight compounded the strain of the qualification process for the Paris Olympic Games, which was essentially a two-way battle between Klimkait and Christa Deguchi, who continually swapped the number one and number two spots in the under-57 kg world rankings. In contrast to the qualification results for Tokyo 2021, in 2024 it was Deguchi who secured the only available Canadian spot in the category, en route to a historic gold medal in the French capital.
“All of that made the process even more difficult. It made for a pretty interesting situation on the tatamis, of course, but what was less frequently mentioned was my behind-the-scenes struggle with weight loss. For the past seven years, when people talked about me, the most common topic was the battle with Christa. It never seemed to end. But now, that situation is well behind me, and it feels great,” admitted Klimkait.
Klimkait’s next competition will take place on March 22 at the Tbilisi Grand Slam in Georgia. We’ll be watching closely to see where the Canadian judoka’s new course leads her.
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Written by Sportcom for Judo Canada
For more information:
Patrick Esparbès
Chief Operating Officer
Judo Canada
(514) 668-6279
p.esparbes@judocanada.org