Prior to the Zagreb Grand Prix this weekend, Coralie Godbout had never won a Grand Prix match. However, the 23-year-old rectified the situation on Sunday, securing the first Grand Prix medal of her career. She finished third in the under-78 kg category in the Croatian capital.
In her final bout of the day, against Liz Ngelebeya of France, Godbout took early control of the action. Then, with just over a minute to go in regulation time, Ngelebeya received a major penalty when she executed a throw where her own head hit the ground first. As a result, Godbout automatically won the match.
“Coralie managed the first few minutes of the fight well, controlling the tempo. She attempted an attack which was countered, and Ngelebeya’s head hit the ground first, leading to [Ngelebeya’s] disqualification. That rule has been strictly enforced in recent years, so there was no questioning it,” explained Canadian coach Antoine Valois-Fortier.
“Coralie’s head also hit the ground hard, but luckily, it was nothing serious. The doctor examined her immediately after the match, and everything looked fine. She may have a stiff neck tomorrow, but she’ll be okay,” he added.
In her semi-final match against Sanne Van Dijke of the Netherlands, the Québécoise put in a solid performance. However, Van Dijke, who later won the gold medal, came out ahead after throwing Godbout twice.
Earlier, the Stoneham-based athlete had gotten off to a flying start with an expeditious victory over Israel’s Ronny Gal, whom she defeated in only 27 seconds. She repeated the feat in the following round, securing her spot in the semi-finals by beating Lyse Vermisse of France by ippon.
Godbout’s first appearance at a Grand Prix took place in Montréal in 2019, when she fought in the over-78 kg category. She also took part in the Upper Austria Grand Prix in May 2023.
Mohab ElNahas (-90 kg), who was also in action on Sunday in Zagreb, was eliminated in his first bout of the day by Mark Van Dijk of the Netherlands. The veteran Canadian judoka’s day came to an end when his opponent scored two waza-ari. Van Dijk advanced to one of the bronze-medal matches, winning in overtime against Georgia’s Giorgi Jabniashvili.
The Canadians who competed in Zagreb will be back in action in two weeks’ time at the European Open in Prague, Czech Republic.
