When the spark fades: Arthur Margelidon steps away from competition

Arthur Margelidon is closing a major chapter in Canadian judo. After 16 years competing internationally, the two-time Olympian has announced his retirement from competitive judo. His final event came in early April at the Senior Pan-American Championships, where he placed fifth in the U81kg category.

He didn’t stop loving judo—he stopped chasing the grind.

Following the Paris Olympic Games in 2024, the 32-year-old took time away before trying to restart with a fresh target. He moved up to U81kg, aiming for a new focus and to avoid the constant battle of cutting weight. But once he was back on the circuit, the feeling that used to push him through the hardest moments wasn’t there anymore. He kept showing up because the sport still mattered to him, yet the competitive drive—especially the willingness to push through extra pain—had clearly faded.

That realization hit hardest at Pan-Americans. Even while still in contention for a medal during the semi-finals, Margelidon found himself questioning what he was doing on the tatami. Not out of bitterness, and not because his relationship with judo had broken, but because the desire to compete simply wasn’t returning.

His Olympic path was anything but smooth. In 2016, he missed Rio after breaking his arm just two weeks before the Games. He finally made his Olympic debut in Tokyo, finishing fifth in the U73kg division and reaching a bronze medal match in the muted Covid-era atmosphere. Three years later he returned at Paris 2024—his birth city—finishing seventh amid a crowd he described as electric.

Margelidon’s résumé includes two Pan-American titles at U73kg (2016 and 2024) and 12 medals across Grand Prix and Grand Slam events. He started judo at six, introduced by his father Laurent, and the sport shaped his life well beyond results—he even met his wife, Emily Burt, through judo.

The next role is still judo, just a different lane.

He says judo will remain part of his future, with plans to become a provincial-level coach and to balance the sport with his work as a kinesiologist.

Source: JudoInside