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Jessica Klimkait of Canada tightens her belt at the Zagreb Grand Prix, where she won U63kg gold

Jessica Klimkait is back with Zagreb gold

Jessica Klimkait is smiling again! The Canadian Olympic medallist returned to the top of the podium at the Zagreb Grand Prix on Saturday, winning U63kg gold after a summer spent recovering from elbow surgery. And with longtime Canadian rival Catherine Beauchemin-Pinard now retired, life is looking a little different for the former world champion.

Klimkait defeated Slovenia’s Kaja Kajzer in the final, claiming her 13th World Tour title. The victory was particularly satisfying after a difficult period that included a first-round defeat against Japan’s Haruka Kaju at the World Championships in Baku. Looking back at that contest, Klimkait felt there had been an opportunity for a score that might have changed the outcome, but Zagreb provided a much more positive chapter.

Then came surgery on an elbow that had troubled her for eighteen months. The injury had forced her to change techniques and avoid certain movements, but she was determined not to lose too much ground on her rivals.

“I put everything I could into the rehabilitation process. Every single day I did everything possible, so maybe I’m not that surprised because I really put in the work,” she told the IJF after winning gold.

The biggest difference is that her elbow finally feels normal again. “Before surgery, I had to modify and adapt my judo. Now my elbow is working 100%, and I can start using all those old techniques again.”

More freedom after an intense Olympic rivalry

Another significant change is the retirement of Catherine Beauchemin-Pinard, her longtime Canadian teammate and rival. Their competition for Olympic selection was intense, particularly with both athletes competing at the highest international level.

“The last two Olympic races were very intense, with lots of competitions and hardly any breaks. With Catherine leaving, there’s a little bit of relief,” Klimkait admitted.

She still enjoys pressure, but no longer having to fight a relentless domestic selection battle gives her more freedom to experiment rather than feeling that every tournament must end with a medal.

That could be bad news for her opponents. Klimkait has a healthy elbow, more room to develop her judo and another gold medal in her pocket.

After winning in Zagreb, where she also took gold back in 2019, the Canadian is considering the Grand Slam Tokyo, the World Masters or possibly both in December.

Jessica Klimkait is back, and this time she can enjoy the journey a little more.

Interview: International Judo Federation. Competition results: JudoInside.