Teen attends World Judo Championships in Uzbekistan as contest prize

A neighborhood teenager has just lately returned from a visit of a lifetime to look at the World Judo Championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

Tayven Tremblay, 17, was one in every of 4 fortunate winners of a video submission contest organized by the Worldwide Judo Federation (IJF) referred to as Throw to Tashkent. To take part, contestants have been required to submit a video of a judo throw, and movies have been voted on by the general public. 

Tremblay, a extremely aggressive judoka himself, submitted a video of an “uchi mata” throw he did throughout a match on the Quebec Open competitors in 2021, the place he additionally received bronze within the U18 males’s 55-kilogram class. 

The prize for successful the competition was an all-expenses paid journey to the 2022 World Judo Championships, which have been held over eight days in mid-October. 

“We have been leaping up and down,” Tremblay’s father Jared stated when requested what their response was once they discovered Tremblay had received. “I nonetheless didn’t consider it until they really despatched me airplane tickets.”

“We didn’t assume it was actual,” Tremblay stated. 

As soon as in Tashkent, which is the capital metropolis of Uzbekistan, the Tremblays stated their every day routine concerned hours and hours of watching world-class judo. 

Moreover the Olympics, the World Championships are essentially the most prestigious rounds of competitors within the sport. Tremblay, like a real pupil of the sport, stated his favorite reminiscence of the journey was taking within the breathtaking gold medal match between two Japanese fighters within the males’s 66-kilogram division, Hifumi Abe versus Joshiro Maruyama. 

Abe is the earlier Olympic-gold champion, whereas Maruyama was the earlier world champion. Abe received the match in Tashkent.

On prime of their front-row seats to the competitors, Tremblay additionally had the chance to satisfy quite a few big-names within the sport, and located himself getting some pointers from the Canadian staff that was competing. 

As nicely, Tremblay bought to strive his hand at doing color commentary with judo folk-hero Neil Adams, the Olympic champion turned devoted commentator for all main IJF occasions.

“I assumed [Adams] was simply going to ask me to hear however he really bought me to attempt to commentate on one of many matches,” Tremblay stated.

“It went OK, it simply didn’t really feel actual that I used to be sitting beside the man that I’ve at all times heard on-line earlier than,” he stated of his first try at broadcasting. 

The Tremblays additionally helped the IJF produce a industrial and promotional supplies for subsequent 12 months’s video submission contest, which Jared stated they’ll certainly be coming into once more. 

“We’re not holding our breath, however roughly a 12 months from now there’ll be one other one and we’ll undoubtedly pull out all of the stops and check out for a repeat, as a result of it was like gold,” Jared stated. 

Winter Video games

After being dwelling for a couple of week, Tremblay was again on the mat and competing in judo himself. 

A profitable and hectic 2022 competitors season gave him the chance to earn a spot on the Staff Alberta judo roster for the 2023 Canada Winter Video games, being held in Prince Edward Island in February. 

To earn the roster spot, Tremblay had a best-of-three competitors in opposition to Loic Beaton from Lethbridge on Sunday, Oct. 30. 

After shedding the primary match on factors, Tremblay managed to win the second, and within the third and last contest, he managed to land a chokehold on Deaton, who tapped out. 

Tremblay can be competing within the Winter Video games for the primary time, and in his final alternative as he can be over the age-limit for the 2027 competitors. 

“I believe it’s most likely my greatest likelihood as a result of I’m the oldest I may be, and the heaviest I may be on this group,” Tremblay stated of his possibilities to medal. 

The Canada Winter Video games start on February 18, 2023.