Christa Deguchi is a Canadian-Japanese professional judoka. She is best known for winning various judo events including the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Born on 29 October 1995 in Nagano, Japan, the 28-year-old sports personality earned limelight by becoming a gold medalist at the 2019 World Judo Championships.
Quick Info
Real Name | Christa Deguchi |
Age | 28 [as of July 2024] |
Birthplace | Shiojiri, Nagano, Japan |
Education | Yamanashi Gaukin University |
Height | 5 feet 3 inches [160 cm] |
Weight | 57 kg [approx.] |
Ethnicity
Christa Deguchi is of Canadian and Japanese heritage. Her parents are Thomas Taylor and Yukina Deguchi.
Her Canadian father Tom is a landscape photographer turned sports photographer. He has over three decades of experience and captures international judo events including World Championships.
Her 25-year-old younger sister Kelly Deguchi is also a judoka. She represented Canada in international events including the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
Personal Life
Christa began judo at age 3. She lost her first ever judo match which ended in just four seconds. Though she initially disliked the sport, she became more passionate with time.
She graduated with a Bachelor of Laws degree from Yamanashi Gaukin University in 2017. She won four Japanese University Team Championships in a row during her time at the university.
Though she is a Canadian citizen, she lives in Kofu, Yamanashi, Japan, to meet her training needs.
Career
Christa Deguchi began representing her mother’s country Japan at the international level at age 16. Her first victory was in the 52kg category at the Tournament Aix-En-Provence U20 in 2011.
Following this performance, she was approached to represent her father’s country Canada in judo but she declined the offer. She continued representing Japan and won the World Junior Team Championships in 2013 and 2014 in the 57kg category.
She decided to represent Canada in 2014 in international events. However, she couldn’t compete immediately and had to wait for two years to do so. Her debut for Canada was in the 2017 Grand Slam Abu Dhabi.
She was placed third at the 2018 World Judo Championships but was crowned the winner next year in the 57kg category. In 2019, she also won gold medals at the Pan American Judo Championships, Grand Slam Paris, Grand Slam Montreal, and Grand Slam Ekaterinburg.
She failed to appear in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics after a low performance at the 2021 World Judo Championships. However, she won the 2022 Commonwealth Games and the 2023 Senior World Championships.
She qualified for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris where she represented Canada in the 57kg category and won a gold medal in the final against the world’s 3rd-ranked Huh Mi-mi.
Unknown Facts
- She has four pet cats.
- She drinks alcohol.
Find out more about her famous Olympic athletes:
Photo credit: @christa.deguchi – Instagram.