Montral, November 8, 2022 Quebecs Priscilla Gagn put in a good fight at the IBSA Judo World Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Tuesday. Gagn, who was unassailable throughout her first three bouts, became the world champion runner-up when she was defeated in the under-57 kg big final.
For the first time ever at the Para Judo World Championships, blind and visually impaired athletes competed in two separate categories to improve parity within the groups.
In the J1 category, Gagn began her day with a quick first-round victory over Larissa Silva of Brazil. The 36-year-old Canadian then maintained her momentum into the quarter-final, where she defeated Liana Mutia of the USA in a hard-fought battle.
In the semi-final, the Tokyo Olympics silver medallist was pitted against Anzhela Havrysiuk of Ukraine. Gagn, who maintained control throughout the bout, defeated her opponent by waza-ari to advance to the big final.
Priscilla was fantastic in her fights against her American and Ukrainian opponents, and theyre easily two of the best athletes in that category. It was an excellent start to the day, noted coach Andrzej Sadej.
Dondu Yesilyurt of Turkey was Gagns final challenger on Tuesday. Despite her excellent technique and her quick reactions to Yesilyurts attacks, the Canadian had to admit defeat and settle for the silver medal.
Yesilyurt is a former weightlifter, which explains why shes so physically powerful. Priscilla tried hard, but her opponent was simply stronger. It wasnt an easy fight, and Priscilla has much to be proud of, added Sadej.
She was disappointed at first because she was aiming for gold, but I think she was happy to be on the podium, nonetheless. It was a special competition and she proved that she belongs among her sports elite.
Following a short medical break in the middle of the match, Yesilyurt came back in full force to score a waza-ari on Gagn. Because the manoeuvre was enough to decide the match, Yesilyurt applied a flawless defensive strategy for the remainder of the fight.
In the same category as Gagn, Christina Mowatt finished the day in fifth place after bowing out in the bronze medal final.
The British Columbian began her day with a victory over Paula Gomez Martinez of Argentina before ousting Vanessa Wagner of Germany in only three seconds in the quarter-final.
Im proud of Christinas performance, especially in her first two fights. That quick win of hers was fantastic. We had a game plan and she followed it to the letter. She always found a solution, noted Sadej.
Mowatt and Yesilyurt met in the semi-finals. The future world champion won the match, relegating Mowatt to one of the bronze medal finals.
In that bout, Liana Mutia defeated Mowatt, who finished the tournament with a record of two wins and two losses.
These were Christinas first World Championships, and her fifth place finish is very satisfactory. Its very encouraging for all of us, and again, Im really proud of what she accomplished, concluded Sadej.
The IBSA Judo World Championships will continue in Baku on Wednesday. Canadas Michelle Jorgenson will be in action.
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Written by Sportcom for Judo Canada
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