Jessica Klimkait can proudly claim to be a trailblazer in the world of Canadian women's sports. The 26-year-old from Whitby, Ont., made Canadian judo history in Tokyo when she became the first woman to earn an Olympic medal representing Canada in July 2021. "That's been a goal and dream of mine, not only to attend the Olympic Games, but to be on the podium.
Obviously, the highest step on the podium would have been preferred," she said at the time to CBC Sports' Devin Heroux. Klimkait, who started in the sport at four years old, was disappointed to lose in the semifinal to Sarah Léonie Cysique of France as the top-ranked judoka in her weight class. "I came here with gold in mind.
That was the goal for me," Klimkait said. "At the end of the day, I'm just happy I was able to collect myself after that loss and come away with a medal." WATCH l Klimkait became the 1st Canadian woman to earn an Olympic medal in judo: Just a month before the Games, the Canadian struck gold in the world championships in Budapest.
It was just the second time a Canadian judoka had claimed a world title, following Christa Deguchi in the same weight class in 2019 in Tokyo.