(Montreal) Canadian Priscilla Gagné injured her ankle barely two weeks ago and, despite this, she managed to win the silver medal at the Parajudo Grand Prix held in Tokyo, Japan.
Gagné faced American Liana Mutia in the under-57 kg final (J1).
The clashes are always the toughest between these two adversaries who constantly exchange victories. The Ontarian defeated her at the Alexandria Grand Prix last March, then Mutia had the upper hand in the semi-final of the World Championships in August.
On Tuesday, Priscilla Gagné first scored a waza-ari at the start of the fight, then the officials reversed their decision a few seconds later. The United States representative then went on the offensive. She scored an ippon with just over a minute to go to win.
“The fact remains that Priscilla was in control and followed the game plan very well. It was the first time that Mutia successfully attacked from the left side against a quality opponent. She has clearly improved and now takes first place in the world rankings,” emphasized national coach Andrzej Sadej.
Taking advantage of a bye in the first round, Priscilla Gagné began her tournament by winning by ippon against Ina Cernei of Moldova. In the semi-final, the silver medalist at the Tokyo Paralympic Games defeated Argentina and future bronze medalist Paula Gomez, once again thanks to an ippon.
“Knowing that she did not have the best preparation for this tournament, I am confident that Priscilla will be able to defeat the American at the next Games, where it matters most,” concluded Andrzej Sadej.
