PRAGUE — Isabelle Harris of Abbotsford, B.C., earned a bronze medal at the European Open judo competition on Saturday.
The 23-year-old scored an ippon, or a full point, against Italy’s Antonietta Palumbo in a women's 63-kilogram marathon match that went more than six minutes into overtime.
Harris was also a bronze medallist at the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile.
Her teammate Yanis Hachemi of Repentigny, Que., dropped his men's 73-kg bronze-medal bout to Niels Thijssen of the Netherlands. The Canadian lost by ippon in overtime in his sixth match of the day.
"Both of those bronze-medal finals were very tight, but Isabelle’s was the tightest of the two," Canadian coach Antoine Bouchard said Saturday in a statement.
During the women's bronze bout, Harris and Palumbo received two penalties each, and a third on either side would have put an end to the match.
“Both of them had good opportunities to throw the other," Bouchard said. "Isabelle managed to counter one of (her opponent's) attacks, and she scored a major ippon. There was a lot at stake in that fight.
"She’s had some great results over the past year, particularly at the Pan American Games. And it’s important to note that she had to sit out with an injury for almost two months this past summer, and she only starting training again barely a month ago."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 28, 2024.
The Canadian Press
