Silver medal a symbol of perseverance
Gagné say reaching podium in judo was end of a tough road
Priscilla Gagné’s silver medal in judo at the Tokyo Paralympics was about more than a piece of fancy hardware.
“To me, it’s such a symbol of hope or faith to just persevere and endure,” she said by phone Friday after finishing second in the 52-kilogram category. “You want it for yourself and you also want it for the people who have invested so much time and energy and emotion. To be able to give it to yourself and to them, you can’t ask for more.”
Gagné always knew climbing the podium in Tokyo would be tough, but training during the COVID-19 pandemic proved nearly impossible.
Shut out of training with Canada’s able-bodied judo athletes, the 35-year-old from Sarnia,
Ont., had to travel to Texas, Lethbridge, Alta., and Calgary to prepare for the Games.
“It was really hard emotionally, physically,” said Gagné, who has a visual impairment called retinitis pigmentosa that affects her central vision. “There was a lot more, emotionally at
least, that went into training for this one than for Rio.
“To be able to bring home a silver after all of that is so rewarding.”
The Canadian faced Algeria’s Cherine Abdellaoui in the goldmedal bout. The pair had met twice before, including at the
Rio Games in 2016 where Gagné lost to Abdellaoui and finished fifth in her Paralympic debut.
On Friday, the Algerian tossed Gagné on her back with a sacrifice throw to secure the gold.
“She’s much quicker than I remember her. Much faster and dynamic,” said Gagné, who was ranked second in the world at the start of competition.
Gagné will be taking special memories home from Tokyo after being selected to carry the Canadian flag in the opening ceremony Tuesday.
“It was a beautiful experience,” she said. “For me, it was such a privilege to attend because of the small numbers.”
Track cyclist Kate O’Brien also captured silver on Friday. She was second in the women’s C4-5 500-metre time trial in 35.439 seconds. Kadeena Cox of Great Britain took gold in 34.812 seconds.
Canada had six medals at the end of Friday’s competition, including four silver and two bronze.
Swimmers Danielle Dorris and Camille Bérubé nearly added to the haul, finishing just off the podium in the women’s 200-metre individual medley SM7.
Dorris, an 18-year-old from Moncton, N.B., touched in three minutes 3.16 seconds, five-hundredths of a second behind bronze medallist Tiffany Thomas Kane of Australia (3:03.11). Bérubé was fifth in 3:03.91.
Canada’s women’s wheelchair basketball squad defeated Japan 61-35 on Friday. Kathleen Dandeneau led the Canadians with 19 points and nine rebounds. The men’s team dropped a 77-73 overtime decision to Turkey.
Brazil beat Canada 3-2 in women’s seated volleyball and Canada downed New Zealand 51-36 in wheelchair rugby.