Para Judo – Grand Prix

Canadian judoka Michelle Jorgensen had a tough day in her second international competition on Sunday at the Warwick Grand Prix in Great Britain. She put up a good fight against the world’s elite judokas and finished fifth in the under-70 kg class.

In her first bout of the day, she lost to Uzbekistan’s Vasila Aliboeva, who is currently ranked fourth worldwide in the weight class. Aliboeva scored an ippon with only 15 seconds remaining in regulation time.

In the repechage, Jorgensen’s Cuban opponent Sheyla Samarian Hernandez Estupinan was forced to withdraw due to an injury suffered in her previous match. Jorgensen then advanced to the bronze medal round, where Georgia’s Ina Kaldani, currently seventh in the world, snagged the medal.

Priscilla Gagné will bounce back after injury

On Saturday, Priscilla Gagné fought in the under-52 kg category. She too finished fifth after withdrawing at the end of the day.

“It was my first competition in more than a year and I wanted to see where I stood, considering the pandemic and the training centre health restrictions,” she explained. “I’m really happy to be here, and even though I’m not in peak condition, I now know where I stand and what I have to work on to get back to my pre-Covid fitness level.”

Gagné lost her first match of the day to Karla Cardoso of Brazil and injured her shoulder during the fight. However, she was able to bounce back spectacularly in her repechage bout against Cynthia Paige Simon of the U.S.A. and score an ippon by throwing her opponent to the ground.

On Saturday, Priscilla Gagné fought in the under-52 kg category. She too finished fifth after withdrawing at the end of the day.

“It was my first competition in more than a year and I wanted to see where I stood, considering the pandemic and the training centre health restrictions,” she explained. “I’m really happy to be here, and even though I’m not in peak condition, I now know where I stand and what I have to work on to get back to my pre-Covid fitness level.”

Gagné lost her first match of the day to Karla Cardoso of Brazil and injured her shoulder during the fight. However, she was able to bounce back spectacularly in her repechage bout against Cynthia Paige Simon of the U.S.A. and score an ippon by throwing her opponent to the ground.