True. Judo as a competitive sport at the highest level is all about winning medals, grabs and throws, sweat and hard work … In short, the quest of each athlete to reach the highest podium and shine at the end of the competition day with a radiant smile and the blinding glow of that gold medal. Especially at the Worlds. Because the IJF Worlds are that annual moment supreme where the stakes are very high!
In the catacombs of the Nippon Budokan, we ran into Canada’s first ever Judo World Champion Christa Deguchi (-57kg) who pocketed the world title on 27 August here in Tokyo.
Christa confirms she’s an avid Netflixer, watching series like Sherlock Holmes and Doctor House. “I confess I’m binchwatching sometimes, certainly when I have time to watch it all in one go. I like the longer stories, not the two-hour tale during a movie.”
Christa likes all kind of music. “But I listen often to Pink and Eminem,” she says.
When asked what her favorite food is, the answer is quite surprising. “Il like butter a lot. I would put it on everything, not only bread or pancakes. However, it try to restrain me a bit as too much would make it hard for me to make my weight,” she laughs. “Salty butter even better.” She prefers water as her favorite drink.
She picks black as her favorite color. “Some people tell me black is not a color, but it’s my favorite though.”
A country that made a lasting impression on Christa is Costa Rica. “I don’t know if I could live there, but I really like to visit. Because of the animals. I like animals.” Of course, the champ does, as she has a bird and two cats as pets. “There just street cats you know, one of them I found being stuck in a three and I saved him, and he stayed with me. My cats are called Tuna and Mayo. I would also like a dog, but my apartment is just too small for having a dog.”
Christa not really has any role model, but she tries to be one. “But I’m not there yet, she modestly says. Before becoming one for girls to pick up sports and judo, I still have to win more big events. I need more gold medals.”
Ideal opponent? “There are lots of rivals for me. But the most suited would be Tsukasa Yoshida. She would be my biggest opponent for the next Olympics.”