Montreal, September 8, 2016 – Canadian judoka Priscilla Gagné came very close to bringing home a Paralympic bronze medal this Thursday, at Rio’s Arena Carioca 3. In the end, she came in fifth in the Under 52 kg class.

The 30-year-old Sarnia resident started out her day with a lost against Algerian Cherine Abdellaoui. Gagné lost by a penalty against her opponent that would go on to step onto the third step of the podium in the competition.

In the repechage round, Gagné served an ippon to Ukrainian Liudmyla Lohatska, 10^th at the 2014 World Championships.

It was in the fight for the bronze that Gagné, silver medallist at the Toronto Parapan Am Games, lost for the second time in the tournament. Right out of the gate, Uzbek Sevinch Salaeva, fifth in the 2014 World Champs, never let her guard down, but took a penalty 43 seconds into the match.

But Andrzej Sadej‘s protégée didn’t let herself get pinned down. She tried to throw Lohatska, but the Uzbek regained control and got a yuko in, which landed her on the podium. The two athletes showcased their fine sportsmanship by congratulating each other after the bout.

France’s Sandrine Martinet was crowned 2016 Paralympic champion, after a victory over Germany’s Ramona Brussig.

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Written by Sportcom for Judo Canada
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