Grace Northrop can now call herself a black belt judoka.
After years of hard work and dedication, the 16-year-old who trains at the Hart Judo Academy earned her first-degree black belt in Richmond on Sunday.
Northrop returned home last month from the Canadian Open judo championships in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que., with a pair of bronze medals under her belt. She won them in the under-18 and under-21 age categories in the under-52-kilogram weight classes.
Her best finish previously at the national championships was fifth.
