Montréal, August 12th, 2025 – John Jr Messé A Bessong captured bronze on Tuesday in the over-100 kg category at the Junior Pan American Games in Asunción, Paraguay.
The 20-year-old athlete defeated Chile’s Patricio Urra in the bronze medal match. He scored a yuko early in the bout and secured his place on the podium with an ippon in the late stages of the encounter.
“He showed up fully prepared. He had set his mind on winning this medal and bounced back brilliantly,” declared his coach Antoine Bouchard.
“He’s so physically gifted! He often uses his size and strength to contain his adversaries,” added Bouchard.
Messé A Bessong opened the day with a triumph over American Kanta Euyama, before bowing out to the eventual silver medalist, Jose Miguel Brache Jarquin of the Dominican Republic, in the semi-finals.
“He sustained an injury during a ground battle in the semi-finals. His opponent put his shoulder in an uncomfortable position, which hampered him for the rest of the duel,” explained his coach.
“He showed great resilience by competing in the bronze medal match,” said Bouchard.
In the women’s division, Alisa Kofman (+78 kg) finished fifth after losing to Brazil’s Ana Soares in the bronze medal match.
“Her three fights lasted only one sequence. Her technique had worked brilliantly in the quarter-finals, but this time, the Brazilian was superior and anticipated her attacks better,” explained Bouchard.
“She was extremely disappointed, and understandably so, because you don’t get to compete in the Pan American Games every day,” he continued.
The Ontario native won her first contest against American Rhadi Ferguson by ippon, before falling to Cuba’s Dayanara Curbelo Travieso in the semi-finals.
“She’ll have to remember that what helps her win a fight won’t necessarily lead to success for others,” concluded Bouchard.
The Cuban carried her momentum all the way to the top step of the podium.The Junior Pan American Games will resume on Wednesday in Paraguay, as the Canadian judokas will be in action in the team competition.
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Written by Sportcom for Judo Canada
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