Manitoba Open attracts top judo talent

St. Vital

Winnipeg

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This article was published 16/10/2024 (662 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Local judoka will soon find themselves in the national spotlight.

On Oct. 26 and 27, Judo Manitoba will host the Manitoba Open, a national, A-level circuit tournament, at Dakota Community Centre (1188 Dakota St.), where athletes from across the country will compete to earn points towards qualifying for the national judo program. Last year’s event drew over 200 athletes, with this year expected to draw even more.

“This is our third year,” said Milton Good, president of Judo Manitoba and tournament chair. “Hopefully it will be bigger than last year.”

In total, Manitoba is home to 14 judo clubs, 506 registered judoka (judo students), and 94 black belts. Good expects between 50 and 75 local judoka to take part in the tournament, including the 25 on Team Manitoba.

“The main goal is to have more people from across the country coming to Winnipeg, to give our athletes a chance to compete against them,” said Airton Nakamura, Judo Manitoba’s head coach.

“Many of the kids, they didn’t have an opportunity to compete with top out-of-province athletes. This is a good step to save money and compete with the top in the country. For the young ones, it’s development. For the older, it’s preparation and points for ranking.”

“It’s incredibly important,” added Shogun Laczko, a member of Judo Manitoba’s senior team. “If you can do well here, you can go to other provinces and tournaments. It’s a great stepping stone, a way to develop new styles or techniques.”

Last year, Laczko won gold in the 81-kilogram senior division. He’s hoping to bring home gold again this year, competing this time in the 73-kilo senior division.

“I’m hoping to go out there and fight, have a good time, and hopefully win again,” said the 23-year-old St. Vital resident.

Sarah Ekosky, a 20-year-old from near Selkirk, Man., will once again compete in the 63-kilo division in both the U21 and senior categories this year, after winning gold in both at last year’s Open.

“I’m putting lots of effort into training, so really hoping (to win again),” she said.

Currently, Manitoba is not highly represented on the national team, though Nakamura said a few U18 judoka are climbing the ranks.

“We do have a couple, a handful, who are in the top of the country,” he said. “We expect the best coming from them (at the Manitoba Open). I’m pretty sure we will get some medals here and there. That’s the expectation, and they are training hard for that.”

Both the coaches and the participants said that a home tournament such as the Manitoba Open should help grow the sport, providing opportunities for Manitobans to ascend to the highest ranks.

“It’s big for the program, because it’s our only provincially sanctioned event for Judo Canada,” Laczko said. “This gives us a chance to highlight a higher level of the sport. It’s above competing in a local tournament or going to your club practice. It provides that motivation.”

“Judo in Manitoba, the community is pretty small compared to other provinces,” Ekosky said.

“(The Manitoba Open) is really important for athletes who want to try the competitive side of the sport. It’s great for those who want to take it more seriously, to have that experience against top competition.”

“It’s important for us to have a local tournament, it puts us on the map,” Nakamura added. “For us, we can send pretty much the whole team to compete. Any out-of-province tournament, we have a budget, it’s restrictive in who we can send. But this allows us to send as many athletes as we can, and it counts points for national ranking.”