2024-01-24

Judoka earns two bronze medals; spot on Team Canada

BROOKLYN - The wins keep on racking up for young judoka Abigail Smith.

Most recently she earned two bronze medals at the Elite 8 competition held in Edmonton Jan. 13 and 14. This event brings together just the top eight judo athletes in the nation, based on a point system from the season, from each division.

The result helped her move up the Judo Canada rankings (u18 women) and she is now ranked ninth and earns her a spot on Team Canada, that will compete in Germany in an international tournament, in March. She is also ranked third nationally in her specific -70 kg women's division.

"It went really well," she said, regarding the tournament. "I was originally selected for the u18 division and I earned a bronze there on the first day. Then the next day, I was selected to fight in the senior division, two age divisions above mine, and I also finished in third. That is a big deal for me."

In both divisions, she fought three times, winning two and losing one.

There were a few goals that she wanted to accomplish heading into the tournament and she did just that.

"The first one was to get selected. You have to be in the top eight in your division in Canada. That was one of my goals," she said. "Then another goal... There's a certain athlete who I have been unable to beat and I did at this tournament. I had a very good fight with here. It was definitely a battle and I won, so that was a goal I've been working towards and have been training to beat that person."

Looking ahead she will compete in Denmark at the Danish Open in February, before heading to Germany. She is more than excited to represent her country.

"My coach texted to tell me that I would be representing Canada in Germany - I freaked out," said Smith. "To represent my country has always been one of my biggest goals. It's kind of overwhelming - dreams are coming true."

Preparing for the event means more time in the gym and possibly a trip to Montreal for further training. Along with gaining more strength and getting better overall, she hopes to improve on his her competition preparation to help "get in the right head space" before matches.

She will continue to accept business and personal sponsorships to help her make the trip which is "really expensive." She is also currently working on a large fundraiser that will help trim her expenses - more details to follow.

What a start to 2024 for this young lady, with much more accolades to come her way.