It will be a Commonwealth debut for both athletes, with Thompson continuing a breakthrough season that has also seen him make his first Grand Slam and Senior European Championships appearances.

A bronze-medallist at the Sarajevo European Open in February, Thompson is also the reigning British Champion in the -100kg weight category. He is currently competing in the Ulaanbaatar Grand Slam in Mongolia, the first event in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games qualification period.

Double Olympian and current European Champion Howell missed out through injury at Glasgow 2014, the last time judo featured in the Commonwealth Games, and is delighted to finally have chance to wear the Team England judo gi.

“I’m really excited to have my whole family come and watch me,” said Howell, who trained in the Team Bath dojo from 2012-2017 while studying Sports & Exercise Science at the University. “They all had flights to the Tokyo Olympics and had to cancel because of Covid 19. I think this will be an amazing atmosphere with a home crowd.”

Also taking to the judo tatami at Coventry Arena will be Team Bath’s Gregg Varey, who was named in the Team Wales Commonwealth Games squad earlier this month.

Thirty athletes who either currently train or study at the University of Bath or are graduates have now been officially selected to compete at Birmingham 2022, which gets under way on 28^th July. Visit teambath.com/Birmingham-2022 to stay up to date with all the latest news and selections.

With thanks to the Team Bath Press Office at Matchtight Ltd.

There was more success at the National Cyprus Judo Championships in Nicosia too as Sport & Exercise Science George Kroussaniotakis won gold in the -100kg competition.

Gregg Varey, captain of the Team Bath High Performance Judo Squad, continued his proud record of winning a medal at every British Championship he has contested since the age of 11 as he secured the senior -66kg title with victory over Charlie Young in the final.

Celebrating her first senior British title is Chloe Robyns-Landricombe, a University of Bath Sports Performance graduate, who overcame fellow Team Bath judoka Sidney Tancock on her way to the -52kg final where she defeated Kirsty Marsh to clinch the gold medal.

Rhys Thompson produced a series of strong performances to win his second senior British Championship in the -100kg category, his overall victory sealed by beating Max Gregory in the gold-medal match.

There was also a podium place for Mathematics student Louis Delsol, supported by the Team Bath Dual Career programme, who battled his way through five repechage contests to win bronze in the -81kg division.

Also placing in the top eight in their events were Roxy Proctor (-70kg 5^th), Harry Stone (-81kg 5^th), Alex Jenkins (+100kg 5^th), Tancock (-52kg 7^th) and James Reseigh (-73kg 7^th).

Saturday’s U21 British Championships saw Physics student Jenkins, representing Hertfordshire-based Rush Judo, win all four of his round-robin pool matches to come out on top in the +100kg category and take gold.

There was also a silver in the -70kg competition for Sports Performance student Proctor, who fought well to reach the final where she was edged out after a six-minute battle by Simone Cross.

The national championship results cap an excellent year for Team Bath Judo, which included three judoka – Prisca Awiti-Alcaraz, Ben Fletcher and Megan Fletcher – competing at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

Team Bath Judo coach Adam Hall said: “What a fantastic way to close the year. The results at the British Championships pay testament to the hard work the whole team have put in both on and off the mat. I’d like to congratulate the athletes and thank everybody involved.”

Visit teambath.com/judo to find out more about the judo programme at the University of Bath.

Thanks to the Team Bath Press Office at Matchtight

University of Bath graduate Gemma Howell will also be competing in Japan’s legendary Nippon Budokan, judo’s spiritual home, after overcoming several injuries to represent Team GB at this summer’s Games.

Ben Fletcher (Photo: www.claregreenphotography.com)

The Fletcher siblings – whose selection has been officially confirmed today – will be competing for Ireland in Tokyo, with Ben all set for a remarkable return to the mat just five months after breaking his leg while competing in Israel. He fought at Rio 2016, while older sister Megan, who is retiring after the Games, has successfully qualified to make her first Olympic appearance – the perfect conclusion to a career which saw her win Commonwealth Games gold.

“It just goes to show how high the quality of the players and coaches here at Team Bath is,” she said. “We set that goal to qualify for the Games and all three of us did – me, Ben and Prisca – so it’s a very special moment to all be going there after the journey we have been on together.”

Fletcher, coached by Juergen Klinger and Ciaran Ward, is also grateful to be competing alongside her brother at this Games having watched him from the stands at Rio 2016, particularly as no spectators will be allowed in the Budokan.

“It was hard in Rio because I’d missed out on going so I was upset about that but I was also really happy for Ben, so it was a real mixed bag of emotions,” she said. “This time round we’ve both qualified and we’re going to be there together.

“I love him being at the competitions with me, I can always hear him cheering in the crowd, and it also means I have a family member who can actually travel with me. My mum, dad and boyfriend can’t come to Tokyo so I am really lucky that I’ll have Ben there with me.”

Prisca Awiti-Alcaraz Photo: Matchtight)

British-born Awiti-Alcaraz will be Mexico’s sole judo representative at the Games having secured a continental quota place with some excellent performances during the gruelling three-year qualification process.

She flew out to Mexico on Sunday with coach Tom Reed to finalise her Olympic preparations having spent the previous two weeks training with the high-performance judo squad at the Team Bath Sports Training Village (STV), the group she first joined in 2015 when she began a Sports Performance degree course where she was supported by a Santander Scholarship.

“Going to the Olympics has always been a dream for me and Japan being the home of judo makes it even more special that my first Games will be in Tokyo,” said Awiti-Alcaraz. “I competed in the Budokan at the 2019 World Championships, which was the test event for the Olympics, and it’s a pretty special place.”

Howell also trained in the STV’s dedicated judo dojo during her four years studying Sport & Exercise Science, a course she started a month after competing at London 2012. Injuries prevented her from qualifying for Rio 2016 but she has fought back superbly to earn a place in Team GB’s six-strong squad for Tokyo.

“Two years ago I never even thought it was possible for me to get to the Tokyo Olympics,” Howell said. “I never even dreamed of winning back-to-back Grand Prix in an Olympic year. My journey to here has not been easy, including 10 operations, but that makes this even more special.”

The quartet’s selections mean that 32 sportspeople who either train at or are graduates of the University of Bath have now been officially selected for the rescheduled Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games, with more selections due to be announced in the coming days.

Find out more about the Team Bath Judo programme by visiting teambath.com/judo.

Courtesy of the Team Bath Press Office at Matchtight

After a qualification period unlike any other, the finish line is coming into sight for Team Bath judoka Megan Fletcher with Wednesday (14th) marking just 100 days to go until the delayed Tokyo Olympic Games finally get under way.

Her place in the Ireland squad isn’t confirmed yet but she is well placed in the women’s -70kg rankings with just a couple of qualifying competitions still to go – starting with the European Championships which begin on Friday (16th) in Lisbon, Portugal.

After narrowly missing out on competing at London 2012 and Rio 2016, taking to the Olympic mat in Tokyo would be the perfect conclusion to Fletcher’s judo career but getting there will not have been easy.

“It’s been a weird year but it will be worth the craziness if I get to the Olympics,” said Fletcher, who won gold for Team England at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games before switching to Ireland in 2017.

“I wasn’t sure for much of last year if I would ever get to compete again. Training was suspended and I remember having to practice throws with my boyfriend, who isn’t a judoka, on a mat in my parents’ garden centre while my coach advised over a video call.

“We’ve been able to compete since November but it has taken a while for me to feel comfortable again on the circuit. Covid hasn’t gone away and teams have had to pull out of competitions after positive tests in their camps. We’re also seeing more injuries because people haven’t been able to train properly.

“I’m still not quite firing on all cylinders but as my coach keeps telling me, I just need to be flying on 27th July. Everything else is about getting myself to the Olympics and I am in a good position at the moment.

“I’m currently 23rd in the World rankings but 17th in the Olympic qualification standings and the top 18 earn an automatic place at Tokyo. There are continental qualifier places available too but my goal is to stay in the direct qualification places if possible.”

The next chance to earn valuable points is at the Europeans this weekend but Fletcher, who delayed her decision to retire from the sport after the Olympics were rescheduled, is setting her sights higher in Lisbon.

“These will be my last European Championships and I would love to finish my career with a Euro medal,” she said. “If I have a good day I know I can be on the podium but I need to have a good day.

“After that there is a six-week gap to the World Championships, then another seven weeks to the Olympics – all the big competitions are coming at once after going so long without one and I will keep fighting to the end.”

While Fletcher continues her Olympic build-up, brother Ben – a fellow Team Bath and Ireland judoka – is continuing his recovery from a broken leg sustained while competing in Israel in February.

“It’s obviously not what we wanted five months out from an Olympics but he is recovering so well and hopefully he will be able to fight in Tokyo,” she added. “I don’t know how he is so tough. When it happened there was no negativity, he was just immediately focussed on getting fit in time for Tokyo. He is so mentally strong.”

Visit www.teambath.com/Tokyo2020 to stay up to date with all the latest news ahead of this summer’s Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Courtesy of the Team Bath Press Office at Matchtight Ltd.

Awiti-Alcaraz, a University of Bath Sports Performance alumna and member of the High Performance Judo squad at the Team Bath Sports Training Village, had been a doubt for the championships with a shoulder injury.

However, she was able to take her place on the mat and performed brilliantly to reach the final of the women’s -63kg category, where she was edged out by Brazil’s Ketleyn Quadros in a closely-fought contest.

Awiti-Alcaraz, who represents Mexico, went into the Panamerican Championships ranked 32nd in the world and in position to secure a continental qualification place for this summer’s Olympic Games in Tokyo. She has two more opportunities to strengthen her grip on that place coming up – the Kazan Grand Slam in Russia in May and June’s World Championships in Hungary.

Visit www.teambath.com/judo to find out more about the judo programme at Team Bath.

Courtesy of the Team Bath Press Office at Matchtight Ltd.

The University of Bath Sports Performance graduate, who represents Mexico on the international stage, overcame Argentina’s Agustina De Luca and Hannah Martin of the United States on her way to the -63kg final.

She then defeated Ecuador’s Estefania Garcia to secure the gold medal, an improvement on the bronze she had won at the Panamerican Open in Cordoba, Argentina the previous weekend.

Proud coach Juergen Klinger said: “Congratulations to Prisca on her well deserved gold medal. The results show that she is developing and building momentum, and I hope this will give her the confidence to get on the podium at next month’s Panamerican Championships in Peru.”

Awiti-Alcaraz, who was supported by a King Scholarship during her studies, is now up to 55^thin the world rankings as she targets qualification for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

Visit www.teambath.com/judo to find out more about the judo programme at the University of Bath.

MJ Church Ambassador Ben’s victory in the men’s -100kg category secured the second Grand Prix title of his career and moved him up to 11^th in the world rankings.

He fought brilliantly throughout the tournament, overcoming Poland’s Dominik Majowski, Romania’s Luca Kunszabo and Aibek Serikayev of Kazakhstan on his way to the semi-finals.

Victory over Estonia’s Grigori Minaskin set up a title showdown with Toma Nikiforov of Belgium, which Ben – coached by Juergen Klinger at the University of Bath Sports Training Village – won with a waza-ari to clinch a second Grand Prix medal of 2019.

That success came a day after sister Megan had reached her first-ever Grand Prix final, where she was only denied the women’s -70kg gold by France’s Margaux Pinot.

Commonwealth champion Megan had fought superbly to progress through the tournament, defeating Israel’s Yarden Mayersohn, Hilde Jager of the Netherlands, Germany’s Sarah Maekelburg and, in the semi-final, Australia’s Aoife Coughlan.

The silver medal was a step-up from the bronze she won in Tel Aviv in January and moved Megan – who, like Ben, represents Ireland on the international stage – up to 25^th in the world as the qualification period for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games continues.

Find out more about the judo programme at the University of Bath by visiting www.teambath.com/judo.

Courtesy of Team Bath Press Office at Matchtight Ltd.

MJ Church Ambassador Ben continued his return from arm surgery by claiming a superb silver in the men’s -100kg weight category, only being denied victory by France’s Alexandre Iddir after a hard-fought final.

Older sister Megan, a reigning Commonwealth Games champion, recorded excellent victories over Canada’s Kelita Zupancic and, in the repechage, Guinoza Matniyazova of Uzbekistan on her way to a bronze medal in the women’s -70kg division, secured by a win over Denmark’s Emelie Sook.

It was a first Grand Prix medal for Megan who, like Ben, was representing Ireland in Tel Aviv and is coached by Juergen Klinger at the University of Bath Sports Training Village.

“Today has been a very special day,” Megan tweeted. “Those of you that know me well know this has been a long journey to this point, which made today even sweeter! I cannot thank the people I have around me enough for getting me here.”

Proud coach Klinger added: “To have two Team Bath judoka win two medals was a great achievement and I am very happy for both of them.

“Ben demonstrated once again that he can win medals at this level and it could have been the gold but for a little mistake in the final.

“For me, the most impressive thing about Megan’s result was not the medal but the way she managed the fights. She has really developed over the past few months and the control she showed throughout was excellent.”

The Fletchers will continue their Tokyo 2020 Olympic qualification campaigns in two weeks’ time when they head to France for the Paris Grand Slam.

Meanwhile, University of Bath students Charlie Bond and Jack Perland warmed up for next month’s BUCS Nationals by winning bronze medals in the -51kg and -60kg weight divisions respectively at the Iceland Open.

To find out more about the judo programme at the University of Bath, visit www.teambath.com/judo.

Courtesy of the Team Bath Press Office at Matchtight 

Head Coach Juergen Klinger travelled to the host city of Tokyo with Rio 2016 Olympian Ben Fletcher, an ambassador for Team Bath partners MJ Church, Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games champion Megan Fletcher, Gregg Varey, Rhys Thompson and King Sporting Scholar Prica Awiti-Alcaraz, who graduated from the University of Bath in Sports Performance this summer.

They spent time at three universities in the Tokyo area – Tsukuba, Kokushikan and Tokai – and got to spar against some of the world’s leading judoka as they focused on technique.

The Fletchers had previously spent three weeks at the US Olympic Training Centre in Colorado Springs as part of their preparations for September’s World Championships in Azerbaijan.

However, the focus of the camps has also been on Tokyo 2020, with the two-year qualifying period for the Olympic Games having already begun.

Judo is just one of many sports that athletes training at the University of Bath will be bidding to compete in at the Tokyo Olympic Games, which will officially begin on July 24, 2020.

The Journey to Japan will pass directly through the University next summer when the 2019 Modern Pentathlon European Championships – a qualifying event for Tokyo 2020 – will be staged at the Sports Training Village, home of Pentathlon GB’s National Training Centre.

For more information, visit www.teambath.com/tokyo2020.

Courtesy of the Team Bath Press Office at Matchtight Ltd.

In her first international competition for a year, Fletcher overcame Serbia’s Sara Tintor, Alina Lengweiler of Switzerland and France’s Gwenaelle Viard to claim the title in the women’s -70kg weight division.

It was also Ireland’s first international judo success since 2014 and an excellent return to action for Fletcher, whose hopes of qualifying for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games ended when she was diagnosed with spinal arthritis last year.

After months of recovery and rehabilitation in the Team Bath Gym, Fletcher – a Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games champion for Team England – is glad to be back on the competition mat and representing her new country, having previously fought for Great Britain.

In her latest blog post Fletcher, who is coached by Juergen Klinger at the University of Bath, said: “Judo is an individual sport but without the support from my coaches and team-mates I know there would be no way that I would be in the position I am today.

“Juergen has had the belief in me that I can get back from this injury and has supported me through all the frustration and tantrums over the past year, on and off the judo mat.

“Barry Edwards, my physio at Team Bath, has been incredible with my rehab programme and I cannot thank him enough for the reassurance he has given me about being able to get back to where I want to be.

“Last but by no means least, Luke Vella, my strength and conditioning coach, has gone above and beyond to get me to where I am today. He has even taken part in high-lactate conditioning sessions alongside me.

“I cannot thank them enough for what they have done for me and I will forever be in their debt.”

Report courtesy of Team Bath Press Office at Matchtight Ltd.