Inuit judo champ wins international bronze

Even Nathalie Martel’s judo coach was sure she wouldn’t beat her next opponent, a brawny Québécoise who had several inches on her, broader shoulders and a past gold medal.
But Martel had defied expectations so far.

She had arrived at St-Hubert, outside Montreal, at the international judo competition only hoping to score a few points.

Around 200 competitors from eight countries filled the Centre Pierre Charbonneau arena for the 29th international Omnium Quebec open. Shouts in English and French, Portuguese and Russian filled the air, along with the loud, resounding slap of bodies hitting the mat. Martel was so nervous when she arrived, she began to shake.

Then she won her first match.

Later, up against the girl from Quebec, the two grappled for about a minute before Martel got a firm grip on her opponent’s uniform, wrapped an arm around her neck and stuck out a leg, throwing the bigger girl to the matt with a thud.

On Oct. 8, Martel, a 15-year-old blue-belt from Iqaluit, took home bronze in the 48-kilogram juvenile women’s category. That makes her the first known Inuk international judo medalist.

“I made history not long ago,” she said casually, during an interview this week.

She started judo four and a half years ago, and has taken the sport seriously for the last three years. This past summer she placed seventh at the Canadian championships.

The trouble most of her opponents face is they just can’t throw her. Her legs stay rooted in place, which held true during the last competition. “The girls couldn’t push me down,” she said.

That’s because when she’s not throwing, choking or twisting the limbs of opponents, she’s often racing around an ice rink at high speeds.

She began speed skating six years ago, and won her first gold medal at a competition in Iqaluit after training for just a week. Since then she’s acquired “a bucketful” of others, according to her dad. She’s finished the 500-metre race in 52 seconds, which is faster than you’re allowed to drive around portions of Iqaluit’s Ring Road.

Nathalie Martel: “The girls couldn’t push me down.”
Skating also enabled her to endure pain.
Two years ago at the Arctic Winter Games she sprained her back after another racer stepped on her with a skate blade, following a false start. Martel won bronze for a 666-metre individual race immediately afterwards, before being taken to the hospital for fear of a burst appendix.

When she checked out okay, she returned to compete in a relay race, because her team couldn’t go on without an extra skater. They won bronze as well.

Training for both sports complement one another: skating gives her a good cardio workout, while judo keeps her flexible. Both activities provide a mental balance as well, where she can achieve a calm grace on the ice, and save any pent-up aggression for the judo mats.

There aren’t many girls in Iqaluit to train with at her level in either sport. She’s resigned to throwing around, and out-skating, guys.

She sets aside three evenings a week for each sport. Eventually she might have to pick between the two. Her eyes are set on the 2007 Canadian Winter Games, but she’s not sure if she’ll be competing in judo, speed skating, or maybe, both.

She hopes to make the top three at the Canadian judo championships this summer.

As if sports weren’t enough, she’s also a Grade 9 student who keeps high grades in school. She used to swim competitively as well, but had to give it up because there wasn’t enough time.

“It’s crazy. I have so much stuff going on.”

Martel’s also proud to be Inuit and hopes to shoot her first caribou this winter.