Canadian Jessica Klimkait wins bronze at Judo Grand Slam in Budapest

Canadian Jessica Klimkait won bronze in the women’s under 57 kilogram category at the Judo Grand Slam in Budapest, Hungary on Friday with a victory over Cuba’s Arnaes Odelin Garcia.

The defending world champion and Olympic bronze medalist from Whitby, Ont., lost her quarterfinal match to Japan’s Haruka Funakubo, who beat Brazil’s Rafaela Silva to win the gold medal.

Montreal’s Catherine Beauchemin-Pinard, who also won bronze at the Tokyo Olympics, finished seventh in women’s under 63 kilograms on Saturday. She had one win and two losses on the day.

Fellow Canadian Francois Gauthier-Drapeau settled for a fifth-place finish in the men’s -81kg event later in the day after crashing in the bronze medal final.

Gauthier-Drapeau of Alma, Que., lost by waza-ari to Nugzari Tatalashvili of the United Arab Emirates.

« It was a bit heartbreaking, » said Gauthier-Drapeau. « I fought well but couldn’t win. It’s disappointing. »