Team Canada built off its strong start in the judo competition at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games on Saturday, with Canada earning another gold and silver medal at the Scottish Exhibition Campus (SEC).
Competing on the second day of judo competition, Canada was represented by Laurence Biron (-63 kg), Charlie Thibault (-70 kg) and Guillaume Gaulin (-90 kg) as the team looked to build on Friday's haul of two gold medals and one silver.
Laurence Biron of Varennes, QC opened the women's -63 kg competition against hometown favourite, Sophie Wood of Scotland in the round of 16. The Canadian won with ippon to advance to the quarterfinal.
Biron followed with a 2-1 score over Skye Knoester (RSA) in the quarterfinal before defeating Rita Kabinda (ZAM) in the semifinal to secure her place in the gold medal match.
In the championship bout, Biron faced Saya Middleton of Australia. Middleton, coming from a strong Australian judo family had many friends and fans in the crowd, but the match on the tatami was very even. Biron continued to be aggressive looking for the right opportunity to catch the Australian off guard. Moving into the golden score round with no score, it was Biron who overcame the challenge and won. With the victory, Biron captured the Commonwealth Games –63 kg gold medal.
"I came here with the goal of winning gold, so I'm happy to leave with it. It was a really tight contest, but I felt my opponent was getting more tired as the match went on. That gave me confidence, and I knew if I stayed patient, my opportunity would come," said Commonwealth Games Champion, Laurence Biron.
Guillaume Gaulin of Val d’Or, QC opened the men's -90 kg competition with a victory over Nantenaina Finesse (Seychelles) in the round of 16.
Gaulin followed with victories in both the quarterfinal against Karanjit Singh Maan of India and semifinal against Noah Walliss of New Zealand to book his place in the gold medal match.
In the championship bout, Gaulin faced Remi Feuillet of Mauritius. Gaulin was unsuccessful, despite a hard fight and appreciated the silver medal for him and Canada.
"It feels great. This is my first Commonwealth Games, and I'm really happy to come away with a silver medal. Of course, second place isn't first, but it was a good fight and I'm proud of my performance. The atmosphere was a bit overwhelming before my first match because it's such a big multi-sport event, but once I got that first fight behind me, I settled in and was able to perform my best. I was also happy to have my family with me who support me at home but have traveled internationally to see me for the first time for these Games," said silver medalist Gaulin.
Charlie Thibault of Pierreville, QC began the women's -70 kg competition with a victory over Zubeda Talikaza (Uganda) in the round of 16, scoring first within the golden score portion of the bout.
Thibault continued on by defeating India’s Inunganbi takhellambam in the quarterfinal by ippon. In the semi-final, going into a golden score round, Thibault was unsuccessful against Kelly Petersen-Pollard of England and would be forced to fight for bronze.
In the bronze medal final, it wasn’t meant to be as Northern Ireland’s Rachael Hawkes defeated Thibault to capture the bronze medal.
The judo competition concludes on Sunday with Canada's final three judo athletes taking to the tatami on the last day of competition for the 2026 Commonwealth Games. 2022 Commonwealth Games silver medalist Kyle Reyes (-100 kg) returns to continue his bid for Commonwealth Games gold, while Coralie Godbout (-78 kg) looks to build on her fifth-place finish from Birmingham 2022. They will be joined by Commonwealth Games debutant John Messe A Bessong (+100 kg) as Team Canada closes out three days of judo competition at the Scottish Exhibition Campus.
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