Montréal, March 15, 2025 – Melody Grenier stood firm throughout a gruelling day of competition at the Cadet European Cup in Poreč, Croatia, on Saturday, battling her way to the third step of the podium in the under-52 kg category.
After scoring a yuko against Sidorela Dodaj of Kosovo in the first few seconds of combat, she put up a strong defence, fending off each of her opponent’s attacks to clinch the win as the clock ran out on the four minutes of regulation time.
“[Melody] scored early in the bronze medal final, and then she handled the rest of the bout very well, holding on to her lead until the very end. She has a lot to be proud of. She’s been progressing very well, and I hope she continues to do so,” said Canadian coach Alexandre Émond.
After winning her first-round match against Italy’s Alisia Bernabei in just 47 seconds, Grenier dispatched of Slovenia’s Nusa Samec to advance to the quarter-finals, where she lost to Aysun Mammadova of Azerbaijan. The Québécoise did not let the loss deter her. She moved on to the repechage, where she won two bouts in a row to claim her berth in one of the showdowns for bronze.
“The number of athletes in this competition is very high. She had to fight six bouts to win her medal. That’s very impressive. It wasn’t an easy day, but she adapted to each of her opponents. Even in her hardest matches, she found solutions. She will definitely grow from this experience,” added the coach.
Also in Poreč on Saturday, Amir Temirbaev (-60 kg) won his first match against Csanad Panczel of Hungary, before bowing out to Italy’s Domenico Celotto in the next round.
In the same weight category, Muhammad Turajev lost his first and only bout to Daviti Kaibulashvili of Georgia.
The action will continue on Sunday in Poreč, where Lowan Le Bris (-73 kg), Dilana Gesa (-57 kg), Maia Thomson (-63 kg), and Charlie Thibault (-70 kg) will represent Canada on the tatamis.
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For more information:
Patrick Esparbès
Chief Operating Officer
Judo Canada
(514) 668-6279
p.esparbes@judocanada.org