Judoka wins Cadet Pan American gold

By Victoria Klassen

The stars were not terribly well-aligned for Ben Kendrick to put in his best effort at the July 1-4 Cadet Pan American Judo Championships in Argentina.

He’d spent most of the year in an air cast, nursing his broken foot back to health. In his first tournament back, he’d be up against some of the best competitors he’d ever faced. And to top it all off, it would be the first time entering in a new heavier weight class.

“The guys were a lot bigger than me because I weighed in kind of light,” recounts Kendrick. “I didn’t know what to expect going into it.”

While sidelined from regular training with the injury, the 16-year-old continued to practice grappling and did upper body work.

“Because I’ve been training hard, I think that really helped,” Kendrick notes, “because I managed to beat some of the best people in the world.”

Competing in the 81 kg category, the Louis-Riel high school sports-study student led off with an ippon victory over Colombia’s Santiago Azcarate in the quarter-final round.

Kendrick had a close match in the semi-final against the division’s #1-ranked athlete in the world, scoring the victory by one penalty point over his Brazilian opponent.

Taking on a rival from host Argentina in the final, Kendrick wound up with one penalty point compared to the Argentinian’s two at the completion of their 4-minute bout, lifting the Ottawa judoka to his first major international gold medal win.

More int’l events on tap

Next up, Kendrick will tackle competition beyond the Americas.

The former Ottawa Jr. 67’s ‘AAA’ hockey player plans to attend an Under-21 European Cup in Romania – as the only U18 age athlete invited to take part in the competition – this month. He’ll stay in Romania afterward for a week-long training camp.

Kendrick’s upcoming international schedule also features two October tournaments in Poland, two December events in France, and others in Portugal and Germany come March 2017.

His parents – 1996 Olympic judoka Nathalie Gosselin and former national champion James Kendrick – are eager to find supporters to help sponsor some of their son’s expenses, knowing first-hand the importance of international experience to athlete development.

Kendrick says he wants to participate in the Olympics one day, but that his main goals are more focused on the day-to-day aspect: “maintain my health, have fun and enjoy training as much as possible.”

When the Gloucester resident got back from Argentina, he went to a training camp with the Canadian Olympic team in Montreal, which featured twice-a-day training sessions plus weights for a total of around 25-30 hours in a week.

“Training alongside (the Olympic team), because they go so hard, makes me want to go harder,” underlines the 2015 Ottawa Sports Awards’ top judo athlete. “I think that’s what motivates me to want to be like them one day.”