CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. — R.J. Hetherington is two-for-two in earning medals against the country’s elite judokas.
Hetherington recently returned home with a silver medal from the Elite National Championship, a judo competition in Montreal, for the second year in a row. The 15-year-old Stratford native finished second in the 50-kilogram division while he was second in the 46-kilogram division a year ago. Both were in the under-18 age category.
“I was quite surprised because I didn't really expect to do this sport competitively,” said Hetherington, who has been involved in the sport for about four years. “I just started it for fun, but as soon as I competed in nationals, I realized how good I was.”
Hetherington, who holds a blue belt, was competing against brown belts in Montreal.
He won his first two matches before losing to a competitor from Alberta.
Hetherington scored the first waza-ari of the gold-medal match.
“Afterwards, he kind of turned up the heat and got two waza-aris,” said the Grade 10 student at Charlottetown Rural High School.
Matthew MacGrath is one of Hetherington’s instructors at the Tsuyoi Judo Club in Charlottetown. He said a couple things separate Hetherington from his peers.
“Work ethic for sure,” he said. “He’s not stronger than the guys he’s beating, (but) his technique is a little sharper. . . (and) he’s really fast.”
Hetherington, a quiet teenager who wants to be an architectural engineer when he grows up, has a good disposition for the sport. He doesn’t ride the wave of emotions within a match.
“When you get emotion involved then you get tired. When you get tired, the match is over,” MacGrath said.
Prince Edward Island sent three athletes to the Montreal event.
Mikey Perry from Toshidokan earned bronze in the 55-kilogram division while Landon Augustine from Gravity Judo finished fifth in the 90-kilogram division.
Hetherington was getting congratulations from fellow club members at a recent training session.
“Anytime anybody does well we’re happy,” MacGrath said. “Anytime I can see a smile on his face, that’s all that’s important to me.”
Hetherington will go to the nationals in May and the Quebec Open in November. His performance there will determine if he gets invited back to the Elite next January. He hopes to earn his way back and win the gold the next time.
