Local judo athletes were masters of the mat during the Vancouver International tournament, held Saturday in Richmond.
Members of the Hart Judo Academy finished the day with three gold medals and three silver medals. Gold-medal winners, in various categories, were Juliana Bergstrom, Grace Northrop and Brendan Bellavance. Silvers, meanwhile, went to Byron Laass, Lavanna Laas and Bellavance in a different division.
The Prince George Judo Club returned with two gold, five silver and four bronze medals and one fourth-place finish. Branden Edwards, junior boys, and Kristen Yawney, under-17 women, minus-70 kilograms, won gold medals, while Josh Price, junior boys; Rafael Rodrigues, junior boys; Levi Price, junior boys; Brynne Deevy, junior girls; and Quinn Clemas, under-20 men, minus 81 kilograms had second-place finishes. In third place were: Tami Goto, junior girls; Kyle Wilkinson, under 15 boys; Levi Price, under 15 boys, minus-50 kilograms; and Quinn Clemas, brown/black belt men, minus-81 kilograms. Branden Edwards finished fourth in the under-15 boys, minus-38 kilograms class.
Three judokas from the North Capital Judo Club were entered into the competition with Brandon Slooyer taking gold in the under-17 junior men, minus-73 kilogram class and Wade Harvey returning with bronze in the minus-100 kilogram senior men brown/black belt class. Connor Slooyer finished fourth.
