‘My hard work paid off’: Whitby Olympian returns home after capturing bronze | Globalnews.ca

Canada’s female athletes have had a strong showing in Tokyo and Whitby’s Jessica Klimkait is among them, capturing Olympic bronze in judo.

“My hard work paid off,” Klimkait said.

After a two-decade judo journey, the 24-year-old captured bronze in Tokyo.

“It was definitely a play on my emotions when I did lose that semi-final in such a heartbreaking way in penalties, so after that match, I tried to collect myself and I knew that coming away with something was better than nothing,” said Klimkait.

This was Klimkait’s first taste of Olympic competition and while it wasn’t the outcome she was hoping for, it’s definitely a moment she won’t forget.

“Everyone is super focused there, there’s no time to socialize and experience what a normal Games would offer but in the end, it just helped me focus,” said Klimkait.

The Games have had to undergo logistical changes thanks to the pandemic.

“Usually I’m competing without my friends and family in the stands, so to wrap my mind around not having anyone there was not so difficult, but after the fact, it would have been really nice to celebrate with my friends and family,” said Klimkait.

Despite not being able to be in Tokyo, her parents Rob and Kathy Klimkait are overjoyed.

“It’s been a really proud moment for both of us,” Rob Klimkait said.

“To see her get that medal and be on the podium didn’t seem real at first.”

“She’s wanted that since she was five years old,” said Kathy Klimkait.

The Olympic bronze medalist is now home in Whitby for the next few days and returning with some hardware called for a trip down memory lane.

“She had the fire in her from the beginning, the ball of fire. She was very quick and active on the mats,” said Kathy Klimkait.

Jessica Klimkait said it’s “nice to be here and it’s also nice to finally relax and just shift my mind away from the grind every day.”

Paris 2024 is already in Klimkait’s sights. She says her mind is set on gold, and winning the medal would make her the first Canadian to win Olympic gold in judo.