Frédérique Lavigne’s two gold medals illustrate Quebec’s dominance on the tatami mats during the Canada Games.
• Also read: Judo: Frédérique Lavigne defeated the pandemic
Quebec won 15 medals out of a possible 16, including 9 gold medals. And the judoka, who failed to win an individual medal, fell victim to a controversial decision by the referee.
The general director of Judo Quebec, Jean-François Marceau, is satisfied with the results of our representatives in the Maritimes, but he is not surprised.
“After all, we’ve been the stronghold of judo in Canada for at least twenty years.
“We have about 40% of Canadian membership, we have a good network of clubs and we do a good job of continuous improvement. »
Like the pros
If the Quebec athletes have performed so well, it’s because they’ve worked hard, but also because they’ve got top-notch support.
“I would like to mention the excellent care given to the athletes by the coaches of the judo clubs in Quebec. The Canada Games team of 14 athletes is made up of athletes from 11 clubs, so we have a lot of experience in the province,” says Jean-François Marceau.
He also has great praise for the national coaches, who spared no effort to prepare the athletes.
“The coaches did a great job, they went to a tournament in São Paulo, Brazil with this group in the summer. The youngsters had won the team competition.
“We did training camps all season, in January there was a camp in Florida, we brought in a mental coach during one of the camps to help them work on the mental aspect. »
get away with it
Like all martial arts, judo has suffered restrictions and disruptions to competition and training during the pandemic, but Jean-François Marceau believes his federation has fared reasonably well.
“We have redoubled our efforts to retain our athletes, we have been doing virtual competitions and distance training. We had a solid base and our provincial competition cycle is back at 100% since September.
“Clubs that have been active, that have nurtured a relationship with their members, and that have recovered quickly, in some cases have more members than before. »
Judo Quebec has seen a sustenance among its members aged 16 to 20, but a decline among the youngest. The association currently has 9,000 members, up from 10,400 before the pandemic. About twenty clubs have not survived and there are now about a hundred in the provincial scene.