Goto leads locals at provincial meet

Tami Goto was a force on the mats at the youth provincial judo championships in Abbotsford on the weekend.

Goto, who trains at the Prince George Judo Club, fought to gold medals in two different categories at the meet. She was unstoppable in the under-18 minus 48 kilogram class and the under-21 minus 48kg division.

Goto’s superb results were the latest in what has been a strong season for her. Leading up to the youth provincials, she closed out January with a silver medal at the Saskatchewan Open. And, earlier in her competition schedule, she topped the under-18 and under-21 divisions at the Canada West Open in December in Burnaby. In November, she grappled to under-18 gold at the Quebec Open.

The PGJC’s Sydney Edgson, meanwhile, also left Abbotsford with a pair of medals in her possession. She won gold in the under-16 minus 63kg class and picked up a bronze medal in the under-18 group.

In other Prince George Judo Club results, Fallon Jones earned silver and bronze medals at the championships. Her silver came in the under-14 minus 57kg division and she nabbed her bronze in the under-16 category.

Athletes from the Hart Judo Academy were also in action at the youth provincials and three of them – Asher Young, Matthias Schenk, an Ioan Frizzell – battled to gold medals. Young was the best of the bunch in the under-16 minus 46kg division, Schenk won the under-18 minus 60kg category and Frizzell was the champion in the under-21 minus 55kg category.

Other HJA medalists included: silver – Carla VanZyl, under-14 minus 32kg; Maxwell Young, under-18 minus 60kg; Brandon Hill, under-16 minus 60kg; Halle Gould, under-14 minus 40kg. Bronze medals went to Brooke Corbett, under-18 minus 48kg; Gabe Paterson, under-16 minus 55kg; Gould, under-14 minus 40kg; Koen Heitman, under-18 and under-21 minus 66kg; Asher Young, under-18 minus 46kg; Lochlan Young, under-18 minus 73kg; Maxwell Young, under 21 minus 60kg; Frizzell, under-18 minus 55kg; and Joshua Greenwood, under-14 minus 34kg.

For several local judokas, the next event is the B.C. Winter Games, Feb. 22-25 in Kamloops.