Jessica Klimkait
Won a world title to settle Canada's Olympic spot
- Born
- December 31, 1996, Whitby, Ontario, Canada
- Nationality
Canada- Height
- 165 cm (5′5″)
- Style
- Aggressive, accurate attacker
- Weight
- 57 kg, 63 kg
- Active
- 2013–present
- Status
- Active · age 29
The medals
2021 world title, Tokyo 2020 Olympic bronze, 3 world bronzes
The story
essica Klimkait started judo at the Ajax Budokan club at five after watching her older brother, and in 2013 she won the cadet world title, Canada's first judo world title at any level. From 2018 she was a fixture on the IJF podium, winning Grand Slams in Osaka, Düsseldorf and Budapest, but she and Christa Deguchi were the world's top two at 57 kg and only one could go to Tokyo. Judo Canada ruled that whoever finished higher at the 2021 world championships would get the place. Klimkait scored ippon on Nora Gjakova in the semifinal and beat Japan's Momo Tamaoki in golden score to become world champion. At the Tokyo Olympics she won bronze, the first Olympic judo medal by a Canadian woman. She added three world bronzes and moved up to 63 kg in 2025.
Tap a technique with an arrow to learn how it works.
- World champion, 57 kg (2021)
- Olympic bronze medallist, 57 kg (Tokyo 2020)
- World bronze medallist, 57 kg (2022, 2023, 2024)
- World Masters champion, 57 kg (2023)
- Pan American champion (2017 at 57 kg, 2026 at 63 kg)
- Cadet world champion, 52 kg (2013), Canada's first judo world champion at any level
Defining matches
- 2021LOSSvs Christa Deguchi (Antalya Grand Slam final)
- 2021WINvs Nora Gjakova (World semifinal, Budapest, ippon)
- 2021WINvs Momo Tamaoki (World final, Budapest, waza-ari in golden score)
- 2021LOSSvs Sarah-Léonie Cysique (Tokyo Olympic semifinal, golden score)
- 2021WINvs Kaja Kajzer (Tokyo Olympic bronze medal match, waza-ari)
In the 2021 world final Klimkait kept Momo Tamaoki off balance for four minutes, then won in golden score by changing direction and scoring as Tamaoki reacted. Drill two-direction combinations, a forward attack that makes your partner push back into a rear throw and the reverse, so their defence becomes your score.
