Tony Walby (born August 22, 1973) is a Canadian
judoka
is an unarmed modern Japanese martial art, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyclopedia Nipponica, "Judo"). ...
who represented Canada in
Judo at the 2012
Paralympics
The Paralympic Games or Paralympics, also known as the ''Games of the Paralympiad'', is a periodic series of international multisport events involving athletes with a range of physical disabilities, including impaired muscle power and impaired ...
in the +100 kg category and - 90kg division in the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio. He won his first match, lost his second, and was then eliminated in
repêchage.
Walby has been practising Judo since 1980, was a member of the able-bodied Canadian Judo team for 16 years, and won the national heavyweight championship in his last year of competition. He has genetic
cone dystrophy, however, which caused his sight to begin deteriorating significantly in his early 20s, and he was declared legally blind around age 35. Two years later he learned that his
visual impairment qualifies him to compete in the Paralympics and began training for competition again. In 2011 he won bronze in the +100 kg category of the
Parapan American Games
The Parapan American Games is an international multi-sport event for athletes with physical disabilities held every four years after every Pan American Games. The first Games were held in 1999 in Mexico City, Mexico. The 2003 Parapan American Ga ...
. Walby currently trains and coaches at the Takahashi Martial Arts School in Ottawa, Ontario, which was founded by
Masao Takahashi
Masao Takahashi (June 24, 1929 – February 14, 2020) was a Canadian judoka, author, coach, and founder of the Takahashi School of Martial Arts (Est. 1969) in Ottawa, Ontario. He was involved in judo for more than 70 years, and was ranked ''hachi ...
. His Paralympic coach is
Tom Thompson.
See also
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Judo in Canada
The Japanese martial art and combat sport judo has been practised in Canada for over a century. The first long-term judo dojo in Canada, Tai Iku Dojo, was established by a Japanese immigrant named Shigetaka Sasaki, Shigetaka "Steve" Sasaki in Van ...
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List of Canadian judoka
This is a list of prominent Canadian judoka, including members of the Judo Canada Hall of Fame, lifetime members of Judo Canada, ''kōdansha'' (high ''dan''-holders), all participants in the Olympics, Paralympics, and World Judo Championships, a ...
References
External links
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1973 births
Living people
Canadian male judoka
Judoka at the 2012 Summer Paralympics
Judoka at the 2016 Summer Paralympics
Paralympic judoka for Canada
Sportspeople from Ottawa
Medalists at the 2011 Parapan American Games
Sportspeople at the 2015 Parapan American Games
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