Tough Lessons in Austria

Montréal, March 6, 2026 – Evelyn Beaton’s day came to an early end on Friday, following her defeat in the under-52 kg repechage on day one of the Judo Grand Prix in Linz, Austria, where she finished seventh. It was an earlier exit than expected, but one that will allow her to make some adjustments in anticipation of her next competitions, according to her coach, Janusz Pawlowski.

Photo : Emanuele Di Feliciantonio
Evelyn Beaton (in white)

Facing Britain’s Tatum Keen in the first round of the repechage, Beaton got off to a very strong start. However, the Albertan soon found herself outmanoeuvred by an opponent she had previously encountered at a training camp in Paris just a few months ago.

“The match was pretty short, but it began well for Evelyn. She had a good grip and appeared to be in a good position. However, the British athlete managed to extricate herself, and then she quickly followed up with an attack to win by ippon,” explained Pawlowski. “Going in, Evelyn had a pretty good idea of what to expect, because she fought [Keen] not too long ago in France. But unfortunately, she lost in much the same way [as last time]. Now she’ll know what to expect the next time they meet.”

Earlier, Beaton had begun her day with a first-round bye. She then defeated Paulina Martinez of Mexico by ippon to advance to the quarter-finals, where she was up against Alyssia Poulange of France. Poulange put an end to the Canadian’s rise by scoring an ippon in the second minute of combat.

“Against the Mexican, Evelyn managed to score at the end of the bout to win it. In her match against Poulange, she was in control most of the time, but she briefly left herself open a couple of times. She remained unscathed the first time that happened, but not the second,” explained Pawlowski.

Also on Friday, Heidi Quach was eliminated in her very first match of the day in the under-48 kg category. Taking on Israel’s Tamar Malca, the Québécoise put up a good fight, but ultimately lost by waza-ari.

“[Heidi] fought this same athlete last year, with similar results, a little like Evelyn. There’s no doubt that the girls will learn from their mistakes and come back even stronger,” concluded the Canadian coach.

The Linz Grand Prix will continue on Saturday, with four Canadians on the roster. Justin Lemire and Félix Mercier-Ross will compete in the under-73 kg weight division, while Arthur Margelidon and Olivier Gagnon take on the under-81 kg group.

Several other Canadian judokas will be competing concurrently in Portugal, at the Junior European Cup in Portimão.

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Written by Sportcom for Judo Canada

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Patrick Esparbès
Chief Operating Officer
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(514) 668-6279
p.esparbes@judocanada.org