François Gauthier-Drapeau and Catherine Beauchemin-Pinard Defeated in Repechage

Montréal, July 30, 2024 – The Champ-de-Mars Arena was buzzing on Tuesday as the judo events got underway at the Paris Olympic Games. However, things did not turn out as hoped for Catherine Beauchemin-Pinard (-63 kg) and François Gauthier-Drapeau (-81 kg). Both judokas were eliminated in the repechage.

In her final, physically demanding bout, Beauchemin-Pinard, who won silver at the Tokyo Olympics, lost to Laura Fazliu of Kosovo by waza-ari in overtime.

Photo : Kevin Light/COC MANDATORY CREDIT
Catherine Beauchemin-Pinard

“There were two or three sequences in which either she gained the advantage or I received a penalty. In the final sequence, she had a good grip, so I had to choose between receiving a penalty or attacking. I decided to attack, but my attack wasn’t very well-prepared, and she was able to counter,” said the Montrealer, who is participating in her third Olympic Games.

“It was a bout I could have won, but sometimes you have to make split-second decisions, and this is how it turned out.”

Nevertheless, Beauchemin-Pinard had a good run, despite not becoming the first Canadian judoka to win two Olympic medals in her sport.

After receiving a first-round bye, she ousted Szofi Ozbas of Hungary by ippon. In the quarter-final, she bowed out to Slovenia’s Andjrea Leski, who is ranked seventh in the world. The Québécoise received two penalties before being defeated by waza-ari in overtime.

“It’s hard to explain. I would have liked to go home with a medal, and I had big goals for today. I was well-prepared and I felt ready,” said the Canadian.

A similar story for François Gauthier-Drapeau

François Gauthier-Drapeau (-81 kg) was also eliminated by waza-ari in the repechage by Belgium’s Matthias Casse, who is ranked first in the world.

(c) Kulumbegashvili Tamara – IJF

François Gauthier-Drapeau

“It’s really frustrating. I know him. It was the third time I fought him. I think this was my best fight against him, but unfortunately, it ended in his favour. When we were on the ground at the end, I don’t know if I got a bit lazy, but he managed to pin my arm,” said the Québécois. “I let him do it because I didn’t think it would put me at risk, and I wanted to conserve my energy. But after a couple of seconds, I realized I was in trouble, and by then it was too late.”

Earlier on Tuesday, Gauthier-Drapeau enjoyed back-to-back victories over Joao Fernando of Portugal and Adrian Gandia of Puerto Rico. In the quarter-final, he experienced his first loss of the day against Italy’s Angelo Esposito, who is ranked 13th.

Despite having been eliminated, the judoka from Alma, who won bronze medals at the last two Paris Grand Slams, declared that he would treasure his memories of the day.

“It was so much fun to compete today. Hearing my whole family cheer me on gave me energy. When I was on the ground during my bout and I heard them, it helped me get back up. It really made a difference. It will be a great memory.”

Although Team Canada coach Antoine Valois-Fortier is disappointed in the way things turned out for his two athletes, he is nevertheless proud of their performances. “The day started out really well. Both of them were in good shape, and it was clear they were here to win. When they both advanced to the quarter-finals, I was sure we’d see at least one of them on the podium, so I’m a bit disappointed about that, but I’m extremely proud of them,” he said.

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Written by Sportcom for Judo Canada

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Patrick Esparbès
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p.esparbes@judocanada.org