Krista & Kelly Deguchi: Judo Sisters Announce Simultaneous Retirement After Paris Olympics Glory
Tokyo – Canadian judoka Christa Deguchi, the reigning Olympic champion in the women’s 57kg event, and her sister Kelly Deguchi announced their simultaneous retirement from competitive judo at a press conference in Tokyo on Monday.
Christa Deguchi, 30, explained her decision stemmed from achieving her ultimate goal – an Olympic gold medal at the 2024 Paris Games – and a subsequent lack of motivation to continue. “I achieved my goal of winning an Olympic gold medal and was satisfied with my active judo career, so I thought this was the time to quit,” she said. She had contemplated continuing after Paris, wondering if others still desired to compete, but a return to competition at the Grand Slam Ulaanbaatar tournament last July solidified her decision. “My fire wasn’t really burning, so I thought I was satisfied. I didn’t feel like I wanted to do judo again.”
Born in Shiojiri, Nagano Prefecture, Japan, Deguchi began her judo journey as a teenager, achieving a bronze medal at the GS Tokyo Tournament during her third year of high school. Initially aiming to represent Japan at the Olympics, her path took an unexpected turn in 2017 while studying at Yamanashi Gakuin University. She chose to become a Canadian citizen, following in the footsteps of her father. Despite winning the World Championship in 2019, a fifth-place finish at the 2021 World Championships resulted in her being left off the Canadian team for the Tokyo Olympics. “I experienced the lowest point in my competitive career so far. I have never felt such sadness or despair. I was so disappointed that I couldn’t watch the Tokyo Olympics. I started hating judo,” she revealed.
Deguchi briefly stepped away from the sport but eventually rediscovered her passion. She went on to win her second World Championship in 2023 and culminated her career with a gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics. She credited the experience of failing to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics as pivotal to her later success. “Whether I won the Olympics or the World Championships, the loss left a lasting impression on me, and I will never forget it. It is because of that experience that I won the gold medal in Paris and am the person I am today. I have grown both as an athlete and as a person, and now I think I am glad that I lost.”
Kelly Deguchi, 27, played a significant role in her sister’s Olympic triumph. After also failing to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics, she received crucial support from Christa. The sisters, who previously competed in the same 57kg weight class, made a selfless decision for the Paris Games: Kelly moved down to the 52kg weight class to allow both to compete. Christa became visibly emotional recalling this sacrifice. “I couldn’t have made it this far alone. We’ve become stronger together. I’m happy to win the gold medal, but I’m most happy that we were able to participate in the Olympics together.”
Christa Deguchi’s career includes multiple World Championship and Pan American Championship titles, as well as a Commonwealth Games gold medal, solidifying her status as Canada’s most decorated female judoka. She began her international career representing Japan, winning medals at the IJF Grand Slam Tokyo in 2013 and the World Junior Championships in 2014.