When Alicia Fiandor was unable to train with Canada's top judo athletes in Montreal she came home to train with her family in Nanaimo. (judoinside.com)

By Dan Marshall

Coming Home

Judo training is all in the family for Nanaimo’s Alicia Fiandor

Feb 18, 2021 | 5:16 PM

NANAIMO – A return to competition may be several months away for Alicia Fiandor but the Nanaimo judoka is still in fine form.

The 21-year-old gets plenty of high level competition and coaching without ever having to leave her home. Her dad Eloy is her coach and her sister Cheyenne is an excellent training and sparring partner.

The connection has helped her remain focused and in excellent condition despite a lack of competition.

“I’m so lucky to have my dad as my coach and my sister competes as well so I had some built in training partners,” Fiandor said. “I’ve been doing my best to keep my training up at home, but it doesn’t compare to training with Olympic level athletes.”

2020 was Fiandor’s final year at the U21 level. She won gold at the Canadian Elite 8 Event and took a silver medal in her weight class at the Danish Open.

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Judo BC also recognized her as one it’s Athlete of the Year Award winners for the third time in a row.

Fiandor was training in Montreal with the best judo athletes in Canada but was forced to return home to Nanaimo when the training centre was shut down.

She joked about tensions sometimes running high in a home filled with judo athletes but she feels fortunate to have her father coaching her.

“It’s nice because I have people around me to keep me motivated, it doesn’t always have to come from myself,” Fiandor said. “I feel like we have a pretty strong relationship and we definitely enjoy spending time together.”

There is a healthy rivalry between Alicia and her older sister.

Fiandor believes it’s helped them both grow in the sport and admits they still have the desire to one up each other.

It’s possible the next major judo event may not happen until the scheduled 2022 Nationals but Fiandor is optimistic about some training camp sessions at some point this year.

The Nationals would be her first official competition as a senior but she’s no stranger to the older division. Her elite results as a junior has allowed Fiandor to enter some senior level events for the past five years.

The break from competition has offered up one benefit from a sport which generates a lot of wear and tear on the body.

“It’s been nice to have some time to let my body recover and heal up all those old injuries so I’m ready to go when things do come back.”

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dan.marshall@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @danmarshall77