Weekend recap: Priscilla Gagné takes it to the limit at Para judo worlds

TSIBILISI, Georgia – Priscilla Gagné won four of six bouts and battled her way into the bronze medal contest at the Para judo world championships which concluded this past weekend.

The Paralympic Games medallist from Sarnia, Ont., and now based in Montreal, ultimately finished fifth in the women’s 52 kilos after a closely contested bout with Spain’s Maria Manzanero Ruiz.

Manzanero Ruiz, ranked fifth in the world in the weight class, scored a Yuko in the final minute to claim the bronze medal.

The two judokas exchanged attacks early in the bout before the Spanish competitor gained the advantage.

“The Spanish athlete scored on a move that could have gone either way,” said Canadian coach Franck Moussima. “Her opponent simply reacted well to the attacks and managed to gain several seconds on the ground afterward.

“It was a very close match though, and it’s evident that Priscilla tried everything to make a comeback. It just didn’t go her way today.”

Gagné, ranked seventh internationally,  opened the competition with two victories before losing to Suvd-Erdene Togtokhbayar of Mongolia.

She responded with two more wins in the repechage to earn a spot in the bronze medal contest.

“It was an intense competition and a very long day,” Moussima said. “There were a lot of competitors, and it was tough overall, but Priscilla really demonstrated a great deal of determination and stamina.

“She put her experience to good use, and she can rest easy knowing she did everything she needed to do. Overall, she can be proud of what she accomplished.”

Alfiya Tlekkabyl of Kazakhstan won the gold medal, defeating Rosicleide de Andrade of Brazil in the final. China’s Zhao Wei won the other bronze.

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Houedakor earns breakthrough victory

Canada’s other entry Eitel Houedakor also had a strong start to his competition Friday, opening the men’s 81 kilo division with a breakthrough victory over Kazakhstan’s Bauyrzhan Artsanbekov.

The Montreal judoka had lost three previous bouts against Artsanbekov but reversed the result this time to advance to the second round.

“For us, that was his toughest match of the day, because he’d never managed to beat that opponent before,” Moussima said. “Eitel fought a great match from start to finish, and it was a fabulous victory for him — an important one of his career.”

Houedakor was unable to advance further, losing his second-round bout to Argentina’s Alejandro Kunkel.

“It’s a shame, because he really dominated early on in the fight, but then got taken down,” Moussima said. “This is the third time he’s lost to the Argentine, but overall, we’re seeing solid improvements. It’s a good experience for Eitel, and he’ll definitely come out of it stronger.”

Saba Bagdavadze of Georgia won the gold medal, defeating Brazil’s Danilo David Geronimo Silva in the final. Cyril Jonard of France and Shohrukh Mamedov of Uzbekistan shared the bronze medals.

Leanne Taylor cracks top five at Para triathlon world championships

Paralympic bronze medallist, Leanne Taylorof Oak Bluff, Man., led a trio of Canadians with a fifth place finish in the Para events at the world triathlon championships in Pontevedra, Spain.

Two-time Paralympic medallist and six-time world champion, Stefan Daniel of Calgary was sixth in men’s standing classification while rookies Margot Wehrle(Victoria) and her guide, Elani Bykowski(Lethbridge, Alta.) were eighth in the women’s visually impaired.

Canada was also seventh in the mixed team relay with its three entries racing.

Taylor concludes an impressive 2026 season after sitting out all of 2025 on maternity leave. She placed fourth twice and fifth once in her three appearances on the World Triathlon Para Series circuit.

“This past year of training was so different than my previous seasons,” she wrote on her Instagram account. “Harder and sweeter with way less recovery for the body but way more for the soul.”

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In 2026, Daniel surpassed the 50-medal career mark in international competition with silver and bronze medals on the international circuit. But overall, this season was about recovery before he digs in his heels in for the race to LA28.

“I decided to get a real (albeit very part time) job, started coaching, and made more time for life outside of sport,” he wrote on Instagram earlier this summer. “It’s been refreshing and I’m feeling a lot better about life in general and am getting more optimistic about staying in the sport long term. “

With files from Judo Canada and Triathlon Canada