Canada nabs 7 medals at World Cup judo tournament

Etienne Briand and Audree Francis-Methot each won gold Friday to highlight a seven-medal day for Canada at the San Salvador World Cup judo tournament.

Briand defeated fellow Canadian Arthur Margelidon in the semifinal of the men's under-73-kilogram class, then defeated Mexico's Lee Matya for gold.

Margelidon and Justin Fumiya Imagawa, who lost to Mata in the semifinals, each won their bronze-medal matches.

"Etienne was the star of the day," said Canadian coach Marie-Helene Chisholm. "Despite the fact that he hurt himself in his very first bout, he stayed focused throughout the entire competition. This was a hugely important victory for Etienne because it allowed him to move up another niche in Judo Canada. From this point forward he can participate in a much larger array of competitions."

Francis-Methot won gold in the women's under-52-kg division, beating Guatemala's Shirley Cabnal by ippon.

Patrick Gagne won silver in the men's under-66-kg class, falling to Brazil's Vinicius Sakamoto Leal in the final.

Catherine Beauchemin-Pinard won silver and Stefanie Tremblay took bronze in the women's under-63-kg category.