A Day to Forget for the Canadians in Austria & Lowan Le Bris and Missy Jen Dorval Mbele Capture Bronze in Portimão

Montréal, March 7, 2026 (Sportcom) – Canada’s judokas won only one of their five bouts on Saturday at the Judo Grand Prix in Linz, Austria. Arthur Margelidon (-81 kg) was eliminated in the round of sixteen, while his three teammates lost their first and only bouts of the day.

“This is not what we expected,” said their coach Janusz Pawlowski, clearly disappointed with the results.

Margelidon clinched the Canadian team’s only win of the day against Petr Mlady of Czechia, whom he defeated by waza-ari in overtime. “He had some difficulty with his timing and his stance, but he found a way to win,” said Pawlowski.

In the next round, however, the Québécois bowed out to Mihajilo Simin of Serbia—an opponent he should have been able to beat, according to his coach.

Also in the under-81 kg category, Olivier Gagnon succumbed to a formidable opponent, Japan’s Haru Akita.

“[Akita] was clearly superior in regard to his grips, his attack preparation, and the frequency of his attacks. However, the fight was not decided until the very end,” noted the Canadian coach. Akita scored a waza-ari 25 seconds into overtime, thus putting an end to Gagnon’s day.

In the under-73 kg division, Justin Lemire lost his first and only match by ippon to Anton Shuhulieiev of Spain.

His compatriot Félix Mercier-Ross (-73 kg) fared no better against Japan’s Ryusei Arakawa, who clinched the bout after only 40 seconds.

According to Pawlowski, the Canadians’ results are at least partly due to a lack of experience and a series of errors. “They had problems with their stances and with their grips. We have a lot of work to do,” he explained.

On Sunday, Coralie Godbout (-78 kg) will be the only Canadian in action on the final day of the Linz Grand Prix. Her coach believes she could do quite well.

“We reviewed some of her opponents’ fights. The draw is in her favour, so hopefully, she’ll rise to the occasion and demonstrate character and efficiency,” he said.

Two medals and some learning opportunities at the Junior European Cup

Lowan Le Bris (-73 kg), who won a silver medal last weekend in Spain, captured another medal on Saturday at the Junior European Cup in Portimão, Portugal, where he finished third in his category.

The Canadian judoka prevailed over Renat Croitoru of the Republic of Moldova in the bronze medal final, where he scored an early waza-ari, then sealed his victory with an ippon at the very end of regulation time.

“He was able to navigate the risks in that bout, and then seize an opportunity to win it,” said his coach, Antoine Bouchard.

Le Bris’s only loss today was in the quarter-finals, after which he moved on to the repechage. He ended the tournament with a total of five wins. “He had a great day. He remained in control and he made some good throws. I think competitions like this are really good for him in terms of experience,” noted Bouchard.

Missy Jen Dorval Mbele (-70 kg) also secured a bronze medal following a well-executed final against Italy’s Sara Virgililio.

“Last week, [Missy Jen] came very close to winning a medal. Today, she accomplished that goal. She held her own very well and she made some good throws at the right times. In the bronze medal final, she controlled the fight very well, and she was never really in any danger,” explained the Canadian coach.

Dorval Mbele won her final bout thanks to a yuko she scored during the first half of the match. She ended the day with five wins and only one loss.

Also in the under-70 kg division, Charlie Thibault finished seventh, with two wins and two losses.

Sébastien Fecteau (-66 kg), Loic Beaton (-60 kg), and Maia Thompson (-63 kg) were halted in the repechage. All three finished with one win and two losses.

Éliandre Barriault-Tremblay (-66 kg), Jacob Élément (-66 kg), and Carla Van Zyl (-63 kg) lost their first and only bouts of the day.

“With the performances we’ve seen in recent weeks and the potential of these judokas, I think we’re entitled to expect a little more from some of them. At the same time, though, this is a young team that is still gaining experience, so we can’t expect them to win every tournament, nor for it to be easy for them. They still have a lot to learn,” concluded Bouchard, referring to the day’s results.

Canada’s judokas will be back in action on Sunday for the conclusion of the Junior European Cup in Portimão.

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Written by Sportcom for Judo Canada

For more information:

Patrick Esparbès
Chief Operating Officer
Judo Canada
(514) 668-6279
p.esparbes@judocanada.org