At this rate the Lohnes family may have to build an expansion onto their home to make room for their daughter's trophy case.

 Bridgewater resident Whitney Lohnes, of 2011 Canada Games gold-medal fame, has added two more medals to her already impressive total. The Canadian champion, Ms Lohnes recently won gold and silver at the Commonwealth Judo Championships in Cardiff, Wales.

 In the junior (under-20) competition, Ms Lohnes bested her Australian opponent in the 48-kilogram final to capture gold and remained undefeated for the championship.

 Perhaps just as impressive was her run in the senior competition where as a junior she won a silver medal following a finals loss to her English opponent.

 Her father, Tim, who watched the matches on-line, said his daughter would be back in Canada sometime this week.

 He also said he's very proud of her accomplishments.

 "Very proud of course," he said. "Her and her younger sister have done judo since they were eight and six. Whitney loves it and wants to be there for Canada in the 2016 and 2020 Olympics. She has medalled at the Pan-Am tournament last year but this was her first medal result overseas."

 Competing on the international stage is nothing new to Ms Lohnes. In her career she has participated in events in Germany, South Africa, Morocco and the United States.

 Currently a student at Concordia University in Montreal, Mr. Lohnes said his daughter has been training very hard with the Olympic coaches and national team members.

 Because of her schedule and the distance between them, Mr. Lohnes said he hadn't had the chance to speak with his daughter directly following her medal performances. But they did communicate.

 "Yes, on Facebook only," he said. "It was 10 p.m. her time when she finished so she checked her Facebook and messaged us. She was excited, very proud of her first win by arm bar and her second match was harder but she felt great. Her gold-medal match she felt in control and very pleased with her performance and placing. Very excited and a little tired."

advertisement

 Ms Lohnes likely won't be back to Bridgewater until sometime this spring, and even then it won't be for long.

 "She is planning to come home for three or four weeks at the end of May, first of June, but it is not confirmed yet," Mr. Lohnes said. "She has a very important tournament in Toronto in May then the nationals are in Toronto in July. She will be trying to get to Miami for the U.S. Open and a World Cup event in August. So her training in Montreal is important and finding funds to come home or to these events are getting difficult."

posted on 02/01/12