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Antoine Valois-Fortier
Antoine Valois-Fortier Rio2016.jpg
Valois-Fortier at the 2016 Olympics
Personal information
Nickname(s) Antonio, Tony
Born (1990-03-13) 13 March 1990 (age 35)
Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
Died Not recognized as a date. Years must have 4 digits (use leading zeros for years < 1000). (aged Error: Need valid year, month, day)
Occupation Judoka
Height 1.89 m
Sport
Country  Canada
Sport Judo
Weight class –81 kg
Rank      5th dan black belt
Club Shidokan
Coached by Nicolas Gill
Marie-Helene Chisholm
Sergio Pessoa Sr.
Retired 2 December 2021
Achievements and titles
World finals Silver (2014)
Regional finals (2016, 2018, 2019)
Olympic finals Bronze (2012)
Medal record
Men's judo
Representing  Canada
Olympic Games
Bronze 2012 London ‍–‍81 kg
World Championships
Silver 2014 Chelyabinsk ‍–‍81 kg
Bronze 2015 Astana ‍–‍81 kg
Bronze 2019 Tokyo ‍–‍81 kg
Pan American Games
Bronze 2011 Guadalajara ‍–‍81 kg
Pan American Championships
Gold 2016 Havana ‍–‍81 kg
Gold 2018 San José ‍–‍81 kg
Gold 2019 Lima ‍–‍81 kg
Silver 2012 Montreal ‍–‍81 kg
Silver 2013 San José ‍–‍81 kg
Silver 2014 Guayaquil ‍–‍81 kg
Bronze 2011 Guadalajara ‍–‍81 kg
Bronze 2015 Edmonton ‍–‍81 kg
IJF Grand Slam
Silver 2014 Abu Dhabi ‍–‍81 kg
Silver 2015 Tyumen ‍–‍81 kg
Silver 2020 Budapest ‍–‍81 kg
Bronze 2014 Baku ‍–‍81 kg
Bronze 2014 Tyumen ‍–‍81 kg
Bronze 2020 Paris ‍–‍81 kg
IJF Grand Prix
Gold 2015 Ulaanbaatar ‍–‍81 kg
Gold 2017 Hohhot ‍–‍81 kg
Silver 2019 Montreal ‍–‍81 kg
Silver 2019 Zagreb ‍–‍81 kg
Bronze 2013 Düsseldorf ‍–‍81 kg
Bronze 2014 Havana ‍–‍81 kg
Bronze 2019 Tbilisi ‍–‍81 kg
Bronze 2019 Antalya ‍–‍81 kg
Updated on 23 May 2023.

Antoine Valois-Fortier (born March 13, 1990) is a Canadian judo athlete. He is famous for winning a bronze medal at the −81 kg category at the 2012 Olympic Games in London. This made him the first Canadian to win an Olympic judo medal in twelve years! He was also only the fifth Canadian ever to win a medal in Olympic judo. Antoine retired from competitive judo in December 2021 and now works as a coach for the national team.

Antoine Valois-Fortier's Judo Journey

Antoine Valois-Fortier started his journey in judo and quickly became a top athlete. At the 2012 Olympics, he was ranked 21st in the world for his weight class. Even so, he surprised many by winning against stronger opponents. One of his big wins was against Elnur Mammadli, an Olympic gold medalist.

Olympic Achievements

Antoine made it to the quarterfinals at the 2012 Olympics. He lost a match to Ivan Nifontov from Russia. However, he then entered the repechage round. This is a special round where athletes who lost early can still compete for a bronze medal. Antoine won his repechage match against Emmanuel Lucenti from Argentina. This allowed him to compete for the bronze medal against Travis Stevens. Antoine won this match, earning his bronze medal!

His win was a huge moment for Canadian judo. It was the first Olympic judo medal for Canada since 2000. That year, his own coach, Nicolas Gill, won a silver medal. Antoine's medal was only the fifth ever won by a Canadian in Olympic judo history.

At the 2016 Olympics, Antoine won his first two fights. But then he lost to Khasan Khalmurzaev, who went on to win the gold medal. Antoine also lost his repechage match to Takanori Nagase, who won a bronze medal.

In June 2021, Antoine was chosen to be part of Canada's team for the 2020 Summer Olympics.

Retirement and Coaching

In December 2021, Antoine Valois-Fortier announced he was retiring from competing in judo. But he didn't leave the sport completely! He decided to stay involved by becoming a coach for the national judo team.

Awards and Recognition

In 2012, Antoine Valois-Fortier was given the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal. This medal is awarded to Canadians who have made important contributions to their country.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Antoine Valois-Fortier para niños

  • Judo in Quebec
  • Judo in Canada
  • List of Canadian judoka
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