Judo Manitoba is pleased to announce that two Manitoba judo athletes, Sarah Ekosky and Nicolas Villa, have been selected to attend the Pan American Judo Championships to be held in Calgary on September 8 – 10, 2023.
Nicolas, a 17 year old member of the provincial team, competes in the under 73 kg weight division. His home club is the Nakamura Judo Club in Winnipeg.
Nicolas, a brown belt, has trained hard this season and his effort led to excellent results in the Canadian tournament circuit. His competitive results for the 2022-2023 season include:
- Manitoba Open (October 2022) – Double gold medallist in U18 and Seniors
- U18 Elite 8 National Championships (January 2023) – Bronze
- U18 Saskatchewan Open (January 2023) – Bronze
- U18 Pacific International (March 2023) – Silver
- U18 Open National Championships (May 2023) – Silver
- US Open (July 2023) – Bronze in U18
Nicolas also competed in the 2023 Canada Winter Games held on Prince Edward Island in February, finishing 5th in the male under 73 kg division.
As a result of his performance this season, Judo Canada has selected Nicolas to compete in the 2023 U18 Pan American Championships in the under 73 kg weight division.
Sarah Ekosky, a 19 year old black belt, has been selected for the U21 Pan Am Championships to be held the same weekend in Calgary. Sarah’s home club is the Selkirk Judo Club.
Fighting in the under 63 kg division, Sarah’s impressive competitive resume this season includes:
- Senior Elite National Championships (December 2022) – Bronze
- Saskatchewan Open (January 2023) – Double gold medallist in U21 and Seniors
- Senior Pacific International (January 2023) – Silver
- U21 Edmonton International (March 2023) – Gold
- Senior Edmonton International (March 2023) – Silver
- U21 Open Nationals (May 2023) – Silver
- Senior Open Nationals (May 2023) – Silver
Sarah currently leads the 2023 rankings for best performance in all female divisions on the Canadian judo circuit of major national tournaments.
Both athletes will travel to Calgary to join the national team competing at the Pan Am Championship. Following the competition, both will remain in Calgary for an international training camp the following week.
“Nicolas and Sarah have both worked hard this past season and had outstanding competitive results,” commented Airton Nakamura, Manitoba Provincial Head Coach. “Judo Manitoba is pleased that their hard work has paid off with these selections to the Pan Am Championships.”
For more information, please contact Elizabeth Trueman, Executive Director for Judo Manitoba at judo@sportmanitoba.ca