Montréal, August 27, 2025 – The two Canadians competing at the Cadet World Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria, on Wednesday were halted after one round each.
“Although neither of them won their bouts, they fought hard until the very end. They never gave up,” explained their coach, Ewan Beaton.
In the under-50 kg weight category, Gabrieli Makhatadze lost his first-round match to Marselbek Berdibekov of Kyrgyzstan.
“[Gabrieli] dominated several of the sequences, and he attacked several times, but his opponent was able to counter his attacks and win the match,” added Beaton.
Berdibekov scored a waza-ari and a yuko to defeat Makhatadze.
“[Gabrieli] fought well, but unfortunately, things just didn’t go his way. What he needs to keep in mind is that at this level, the line between winning and losing is a very fine one, and that in order to win, you have to be almost perfect,” said the coach.
After receiving a first-round bye, Xavier Brouillette (-55 kg) bowed out to Israel’s Tom Dubrovsky in his first match of the day.
“We had a good game plan, but unfortunately, [Dubrovsky] kept preventing Xavier from getting into attack position,” explained Beaton.
“Then, because he wasn’t able to put our plan into action, Xavier became a bit hesitant. His opponent did a good job of denying him any opportunity to launch an effective attack.”
For Makhatadze and Brouillette, it was the first time either of them had competed at the World Championships, and the experience allowed them to witness a large-scale event first-hand.
“They learned about the international protocols, such as how the divisions are managed, as well as the strict schedules for weigh-ins and judogi inspections. At the World Championships, everything is very professionally done, almost as though they were already at the senior level. For young adolescents, it’s a big change from what they’re used to,” explained Beaton.
The Cadet World Championships will continue on Thursday in Sofia. Amir Temirbaev (-60 kg), Anes Mati (-66 kg), Connor Gallant (-66 kg), Melody Grenier (-52 kg), and Maegan Grooten (-52 kg) will represent Canada on the tatamis.
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