Canmore judoka Erin Morgan bounced back from a disappointing trip overseas with a win at the Quebec Open on Nov. 2.
Morgan, who’s aspiring to represent Canada at the Pan-American Championships in Edmonton this spring, wasn’t happy with her results in Sweden.
“I fought in Sweden on Oct. 25 and I lost both of my fights in overtime, the first one to Poland and the second to Germany. Both of the girls I fought finished the day on the podium. It was a very hard day and an incredibly disappointing way to end my time in Europe,” Morgan wrote.
Motivated, she returned to Montreal for the largest tournament in Canada this year, the Quebec Open, which attracted 700 competitors from 15 countries. Sixteen tough opponents awaited her in the 53 kilogram seniors division, but they were no match for a motivated Morgan.
“My first fight was against Luana Candido of Brazil and I threw her for ippon (the highest score in judo) in nine seconds. I think that’s my fastest win ever. Second, I had Carolina Delgado of Puerto Rico who was my toughest fight of the day. The fight went around three and a half minutes and I managed to throw her with a foot sweep.”
She then made short work of American Ashley Hejlik in the semifinals, throwing her twice in 30 seconds, lining up a showdown with Lorena Kaegi of Manitoba in the final.
“I’m very familiar with her and we’ve fought three times in the last year, all victories for me. This time was no different as I threw her for ippon around the one-minute mark,” Morgan said.
Morgan earned points towards Pan-American championship team selection with the win, which is a big goal for her season. She’ll try and keep her winning streak alive with a tournament in Toronto next week, before returning to Alberta.
Canmore’s McKenzie Morgan also competed in the U18 66 kg category. In the midst of a strong season, he won gold in mid-October in the 66kg U18 group at the University of Alberta, Fort Saskatchewan campus, and is working to improve his rankings for the Canada Winter Games.
After competing in the Ontario Open this weekend, his next competition is the Red Deer Invitational on Dec. 6.
