Montréal, August 30, 2025 – Charlie Thibault reached the final of the under-70 kg category at the Cadet World Championships on Saturday in Sofia, Bulgaria, where encountered an opponent at the top of her game.
The Quebec native won her first four matches of the day to punch her ticket to the final and face off against Brazil’s Clarisse Vallim. The latter scored a yuko after landing a successful throw in the opening seconds of the bout before sealing the deal moments later with an ippon.
“I was fully prepared for the final, but things didn’t go as planned. It’s a shame, I would have liked to win or at least put up a closer fight, but I still earned a medal and put up a good fight. It’s my first medal at the World Championships, and being the cadet world runner-up doesn’t sound too bad,” shared Charlie Thibault.
Thibault’s first fight of the day turned into quite a marathon as the 17-year-old athlete triumphed over Croatia’s Vita Hudicka after 9 minutes and 42 seconds of grueling competition.
“It was incredibly challenging and required tremendous focus and determination. I managed to win by submission, and I’m delighted. The first fight is always exciting but a bit nerve-wracking.”
The Canadian then went on to defeat Luxembourg’s Leni Welter, Czechia’s Vanessa Karaffova, and Poland’s Diana Benkova to meet Vallim in the final.
“I was particularly pleased with my victory over the Czech in the quarter-finals because I knew I was going to be contending for a medal, which was a huge relief. You always want to aim for the top, but to be honest, I didn’t expect to make it onto the podium,” admitted Thibault.
Competing in her final year as a cadet, the Quebecer couldn’t have asked for a better day before turning the page on this chapter of her career.
“Last year, I only fought two matches at the world championships. Winning a medal this time around is a great way to end my career in this category, and it gives me confidence for the future,” she concluded.
Competing in the same category as Thibault, Missy Jen Dorval Mbele lost her first match to Serbian Lucia Pavic.
Abigail Smith and Emiliya Aliyeva suffered similar fates in the over-70 kg weight class.
On the men’s side, Matthew Molchanov (-90 kg) won his first bout against Greece’s Angelos Kostelidis before falling to Georgia’s Giorgi Zurabashvili in the next round.
Franck David Moussima Ewane Elouti (+90 kg) also recorded a win and a loss, defeating Italy’s Gianluca Picchi before succumbing to Giorgi Karchaidze of Georgia.
Arthur Stivenson was eliminated in the first round in the same category.
The Cadet World Championships will conclude on Sunday in Sofia with the team event.
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Written by Sportcom for Judo Canada
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