| Born | May 9, 1990 Whitby, Ontario |
|---|---|
| Known for | Judoka |
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Competitor for Canada | ||
| Women's judo | ||
| Pan American Judo Championships | ||
| Gold | 2010 San Salvador | –70 kg |
| Bronze | 2009 Buenos Aires | –70 kg |
| Bronze | 2011 Guadalajara | –70 kg |
Kelita Zupancic (born May 9, 1990 in Whitby, Ontario) is a judoka from Canada. Zupancic won a gold medal for Canada at 2010 Pan Am judo championships.[1]
Contents |
Kelita was born in Whitby what is town in the Oshawa metro area. She is of Slovenian origin. Her father Eddie is a judo coach/trainer.
She is member of the Formokan Judo Club[2] and she has been training at the National Training Centre in Montreal under the watchful eyes of National Coach Nicolas Gill and Hiroshi Namakura. Through some discussion with Hiroshi Namakura, it was felt that the time was right for Kelita to train in Japan. Hiroshi Namakura contacted Yoshiyuki Matsuoka who is a former Olympic Champion and head coach at a private women’s judo club which is sponsored by the company Komatsu. He suggested to Kelita that she should go to train at the Komatsu club.[3] Kelita agreed and Hiroshi Namakura arranged the visit.
January 2010, Kelita visited the club for nearly one month. It was very intense training with some of the top Japanese women in the world. Also coaching at Komatsu is Kazuhiko Tokuno (Japan National Female Coach) and Mayumi Katsura, both former world class competitors. After her visit, Kelita went on to win medals at a World Cup in Hungary, and a Grand Prix in Germany and then a gold at the 2010 Pan American Judo Championships in El Salvador.
At the recent Formokan Judo Club’s 35th year reunion (2010), Kelita announced that she has been offered a position on the Komatsu Judo team. According to Hiroshi Namakura, one foreign judoka is selected per year and Kelita was recognized. She was offered a one year contract to train with the team, work for Komatsu and compete for them at team events.[4]
| Year | Tournament | Place | Weight class |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Pan American Judo Championships | 3rd | Middleweight (–70 kg) |
| 2010 | Pan American Judo Championships | 1st | Middleweight (–70 kg) |
| 2011 | Pan American Judo Championships | 3rd | Middleweight (–70 kg) |