Catherine Roberge fifth

April 02, 2006
Judo Canada
For immediate release

Judo - Birmingham World Cup
Montreal, April 2, 2006 (Sportcom) – Catherine Roberge of Beauport, Que., placed fifth in the women’s 70 kilos division on Sunday at a World Cup judo competition in Birmingham, England.

‘’It was a tough day, there was an opportunity to win the tournament,’’ said Roberge, the only Canadian entry. ‘’The girl I lost to in the first round (Elisa Schmidtke of Germany, the eventual gold medallist), was able to counter attack the whole bout. She was a complete unknown and beat everybody. It must have been the greatest day of her life.’’

In her second bout, Roberge defeated Katie Mocco of the U.S., with an ippon and then beat Michelle Holt of Britain by a koka. In the bronze medal bout, Roberge lost by a koka to Elisabeth Greve of Germany.

‘’My opponents were beatable, I just wasn’t in shape. I didn’t sleep all night due to the time shift and this morning I wasn’t feeling 100 percent. In the first bout I lost by a koka while normally I should have won by ippon,’’ said Roberge, who also sprained a finger in that first bout.

Roberge, 24, will remain in Europe over the next month to prepare for the all important Pan American championships. ‘’It’s very important because it is the first selection meet for the Beijing Olympics,’’ she said.

Written by Sportcom for Judo Canada.
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