Brandon Jobb took his talents to South Beach, and came home with a silver medal.
The Team Canada judo athlete from Abbotsford finished second in the under-90 kilogram division at the Pan-American Open in Miami earlier this month. Jobb went undefeated en route to the final, where he succumbed to Brazilian Eduardo Silva.
“It was an almost perfect day,” commented Jobb, a Yale Secondary grad who currently lives in Montreal and is part of Judo Canada’s National Training Centre. “I went up against a top-notch judoka in the finale. I felt like I gave everything I had, and my coach really helped me a lot as well.
“It’s actually the second time I’ve fought Silva, and the first time he beat me quite easily. Today I fought him much better, and it resulted in a much closer fight. I made one error and it cost me the match. I feel like I can only get better from here, and hopefully in about six months I’ll be able to beat this guy.”
• Several Abbotsford Judo Club athletes attended the U.S. national championships in Honolulu in July, and Greg Laslo picked up a pair of gold medals.
Laslo won both the U18 and U21 age divisions, battling through eight tough matches and emerging exhausted but ecstatic with his success.
Teammates Georges St. Amour and Kurt Roots also came away with medals, silver and bronze respectively. Simren Brar finished just off the podium in fourth place.
• The Abbotsford Judo Club is hosting free discovery camps in early September to introduce kids to the sport.
The sessions run Sept. 2-4, from 5 to 6 p.m., and kids age seven to 12 are welcome to attend. The event is free, but space is limited. To register, call 604-852-8014.