Judo – 4 The Love Of Sport http://4theloveofsport.co.uk Champions Of Women's Sport Wed, 15 May 2024 13:03:58 +0000 en-GB hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=5.1.16 http://4theloveofsport.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/cropped-4tlos-iconw-32x32.png Judo – 4 The Love Of Sport http://4theloveofsport.co.uk 32 32 Another memorable night for Bath-based swimmers in Birmingham http://4theloveofsport.co.uk/2022/08/02/another-memorable-night-for-bath-based-swimmers-in-birmingham/ Tue, 02 Aug 2022 22:37:43 +0000 http://4theloveofsport.co.uk/?p=44243 Continue Reading →

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Swimmer Brodie Williams became the first University of Bath-based athlete to win gold at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games after another magnificent evening in the Sandwell Aquatic Centre.

 Williams, coached by David McNulty at the Team Bath Sports Training Village, produced an outstanding performance to take the 200m backstroke title by one-hundredth of a second after a thrilling final.

Training partner James Guy also added two more medals to his incredible career haul, finishing joint second in the 100m butterfly before teaming up with fellow Bath-based swimmer Freya Anderson to win bronze for Team England in the mixed 4x100m medley relay.

There was medal success for University of Bath alumna Gemma Howell too as she won judo silver for Team England, narrowly being denied the title by Olympic bronze-medallist Catherine Beauchemin-Pinard in a hard-fought -63kg final that went to golden score before the Canadian forced a submission.

Team Bath Netball Superleague trio Imogen Allison, Sophie Drakeford-Lewis and Layla Guscoth also helped England secure their place in this weekend’s netball semi-finals with a 56-35 victory over Uganda.

Stay up-to-date with all the results involving University of Bath-associated athletes at the Commonwealth Games by visiting teambath.com/Birmingham-2022.

Swimming

After winning his first senior international medal in the 100m backstroke on Saturday, Brodie Williams secured his second this evening in sensational style as he struck gold in the 200m backstroke.

The British Swimming Performance Centre Bath swimmer had finished fourth in the event at June’s World Championships behind fellow Brit Luke Greenbank, who took silver, and they were at the front of the field during an absorbing race.

Greenbank held a narrow lead at the 150m mark but Williams produced a brilliant last turn and edged into the lead with 25m to go. Australia’s Bradley Woodward was also making a charge but Williams managed to take the touch by one-hundredth of a second, claiming gold in 1:56.40. South Africa’s Pieter Coetze completed the podium and University of Bath Sports Performance graduate Jay Lelliott was eighth in 2:01.64.

“I tried to work that last 50m and I was lucky to get the touch,” said Williams. “It’s a shame not to have Luke on the podium with me, he has set the standards for backstroke in Britain, but he’ll be back.”

If it was close to a dead heat in that race, there was one in a pulsating 100m butterfly final as James Guy once again produced a big performance on the big stage to touch the wall joint second with Australia’s Matt Temple in 51.40, just 0.16 behind Canada’s Joshua Liendo Edwards.

“It was about enjoying the crowd, soaking it up and what a great race,” said Guy. “I’m really happy with that – cheers!”

Jacob Peters, who trains alongside Guy at the Performance Centre Bath, went out fast in the first 50m and was just a tenth of a second off the lead at the midway point before finishing sixth in 52.16.

Guy was back in the pool for the last race of the night, swimming the butterfly leg for Team England in the mixed 4x100m medley relay. He handed over to training partner Freya Anderson in third place for the decisive freestyle leg and she swam superbly to secure bronze for the quartet, which also featured Lauren Cox and James Wilby – only being denied silver by five-hundredths of a second.

Ed Mildred also received a medal after playing a key role in the morning’s heats, his time of 51.58 on the anchor leg moving the England quartet from third to first.

Anderson had earlier finished fifth in the 100m freestyle final (54.00), just behind University of Bath alumna Anna Hopkin (53.57), while Holly Hibbott was sixth in the 200m butterfly final in 2:09.92.

Ben Proud stormed into Wednesday’s 50m freestyle final, setting the fastest time of 21.63 as he looks to add to the 50m butterfly gold he won on Saturday.

 The morning’s heats had seen Sports Performance graduate Luke Turley, who now trains with the Performance Centre Bath squad, win his 1,500m freestyle heat in 15:35.65 to qualify for Wednesday’s final.

Judo

University of Bath alumna Gemma Howell admitted she had mixed emotions after winning a hard-fought silver for Team England in the women’s -63kg weight division at Coventry Arena.

Double Olympian Howell, who trained with Team Bath Judo from 2012 to 2017 while studying Sports & Exercise Science, overcame Jasmine Hacker-Jones of Wales in the quarter-finals before defeating Australia’s Katharina Haecker to secure her place in the gold-medal match.

Tokyo Olympic medallist Catherine Beauchemin-Pinard provided the opposition and there was very little between the two judoka as a closely-fought final went to golden score. Howell was the more aggressive fighter but, after nearly three minutes of additional time, was caught in an armlock and had to tap out.

Injuries prevented Howell competing when judo was last contested in the Commonwealth Games at Glasgow 2014 and have plagued her career but she won the European Championships in April and said she was proud of her achievements this year – although frustrated at just missing out on gold.

“If you had asked me about a silver at the start of the day I would have been over the moon but that final was so close,” she told BBC Sport. “I could have had it and that makes it even more frustrating. Give me a few hours, though, and I’ll be really happy about it.”

Team Bath’s Rhys Thompson competes in the men’s -100kg division on Wednesday.

 Netball

 Defending champions England secured a semi-final spot as a 56-35 victory over Uganda guaranteed a top-two finish in Group B.

Layla Guscoth started and there were further impactful appearances from the bench by fellow Team Bath Netball Superleague stars Imogen Allison and Sophie Drakeford-Lewis as England set up a group decider against World Champions New Zealand on Thursday.

The first match of the day had seen Blue & Gold attacker Betsy Creak convert all 11 of her shots as Wales were beaten 79-33 by gold-medal contenders Australia.

Athletics

The opening night of track and field action at the Alexander Stadium saw Sports Performance graduate Alastair Chalmers, hoping to win Guernsey’s first-ever Commonwealth athletics medal, book his place in Saturday’s 400m hurdles final by placing fourth in his heat in 50.39.

His brother Cameron, who also studied Sports Performance at the University, begins his 400m campaign around 12.20pm on Wednesday.

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

 

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Rhys Thompson and Gemma Howell named in Team England judo squad http://4theloveofsport.co.uk/2022/06/24/rhys-thompson-and-gemma-howell-named-in-team-england-judo-squad/ Fri, 24 Jun 2022 14:23:54 +0000 http://4theloveofsport.co.uk/?p=43648 Continue Reading →

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Team Bath judoka Rhys Thompson and University of Bath alumna Gemma Howell have been named in a 14-strong Team England judo squad for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.

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 28th 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.

 

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Five national titles cap fantastic year for Team Bath Judo http://4theloveofsport.co.uk/2021/12/14/five-national-titles-cap-fantastic-year-for-team-bath-judo/ Tue, 14 Dec 2021 16:19:47 +0000 http://4theloveofsport.co.uk/?p=41374 Continue Reading →

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Four Team Bath judoka were crowned as British Champions and there were six medals in total as a memorable 2021 concluded with a fantastic weekend of Senior and U21 competition at the EIS Sheffield.

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 5th), Harry Stone (-81kg 5th), Alex Jenkins (+100kg 5th), Tancock (-52kg 7th) and James Reseigh (-73kg 7th).

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

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Tokyo will mark the end of an era for Megan Fletcher http://4theloveofsport.co.uk/2021/07/26/tokyo-will-mark-the-end-of-an-era-for-megan-fletcher/ Mon, 26 Jul 2021 10:14:01 +0000 http://4theloveofsport.co.uk/?p=39041 Continue Reading →

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Tokyo 2020 marks the end of an era for Wokingham’s Megan Fletcher but she says she cannot think of a better climax to a brilliant career than making her long-awaited Olympic debut at the home of judo.

After narrowly missing out on qualification for London 2012 and Rio 2016, Fletcher’s years of dedication to her sport – first with Pinewood Judo Club in her hometown and the past 13 with the high-performance squad at Team Bath – will be justly rewarded when she takes to the mat in the legendary Nippon Budokan.

It is also the last competition for her coach Juergen Klinger, who retired from his role as Head of Judo at the University of Bath in January 2020 but has continued to train Fletcher and her brother Ben during a challenging Olympic qualification period extended by a year due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

“It’s an emotional time but we’ve had a really wonderful experience together and the journey has been spectacular,” said Fletcher, who will compete in the -70kg weight division on Wednesday 28th July.

“Juergen actually told me the other day he is proud of me and he is a man of few compliments! It’s his last tournament, so it’s really special that it’s an Olympic Games with me and Ben.

“It’s my last tournament too. I’m sad that it’s ending but I also feel ready for the next chapter. It’s the right time and hopefully I will go out with a bang.”

Fletcher, a Commonwealth champion with Team England at Glasgow 2014, will be representing Ireland, her mother’s home country, in Tokyo after transferring allegiances at the start of this Olympiad.

“It was all very amicable with British Judo when Ben and I transferred, which was really nice,” she recalled. “They were setting up a centralised venue which would have meant moving my training base but I wanted to stay here at Team Bath and I’m so glad I did.

“Team Bath has been home for such a long time and everyone has supported my no end. The coaching staff, the physios, strength and conditioning team, psychologists – everyone has been a bubble around me for the past 13 years and I owe so much of my success to them.

“I’m super, super happy and excited to have finally qualified for the Games, it’s been a long time coming and obviously after everything that has happened with Covid. Now it’s about being ready to actually compete on that stage.

“The Budokan is an absolutely stunning arena and has so much Olympic history. Being in Japan for the Olympic Games, you couldn’t have a better venue for judo athletes to compete in so I feel very lucky that it’s the Olympics I qualified for.”

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

Courtesy of the Team Bath Press Office at Matchtight

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Chelsie Giles wins Team GB’s first medal of Tokyo 2020 http://4theloveofsport.co.uk/2021/07/25/chelsie-giles-wins-team-gbs-first-medal-of-tokyo-2020/ Sun, 25 Jul 2021 15:34:47 +0000 http://4theloveofsport.co.uk/?p=39087 Continue Reading →

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Chelsie Giles won Team GB’s first medal of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games after securing bronze in the women’s -52kg judo.

The 24-year-old from Coventry twice threw Swiss Fabienne Kocher for waza’ari to get her nation off the medal mark, all on her first appearance at an Olympic Games.

For an athlete who only made her senior international debut in 2017, it was a dream come true.

Giles dabbles in amateur photography away from the mat and couldn’t have staged the scene of her triumph any better; coming at the Nippon Budokan, the spiritual home of her sport.

“I felt really good in the warm-up, and I was taking each fight as it came. Today went really well,” said Giles. “I believed I could do it, my coach has always believed I could and it showed in today’s performance.

“It feels very special to do it in Japan. It’s an amazing arena and the atmosphere was amazing. To do it where Japan started it, it makes it extra special.

“I never underestimate any of my fights, that’s where mistakes are made. I go into the fight knowing what they do, and knowing what I’m capable of doing. With my best performance, I know I can beat some of the top players and today showed that.”

Giles had earlier lost out to Japan’s Uta Abe in the quarter-finals but bounced back in style to beat Charline van Snick of Belgium on Golden Score.

That victory took her through to the bronze medal match at the Nippon Budokan, with Team GB now winning a judo medal in each of the past three Games.

Giles added: “A small mistake cost me the match [in the quarter-final], but I was happy with the rest of the performance. She’s a great fighter and well done to her for the final.

“Firstly, I’ll take a break and take a few weeks’ rest. I’m sure we’ll be back to training in no time.

“It’s been really important to have the support of friends and family. When I’ve had not so good days, or it’s been hard to motivate myself, they’ve always had my back. Especially British Judo, UK Sport, these are people I couldn’t get here without.”

Courtesy of Team GB

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Judoka Prisca Awiti-Alcaraz flying the flag for Mexico http://4theloveofsport.co.uk/2021/07/25/judoka-prisca-awiti-alcaraz-flying-the-flag-for-mexico/ Sun, 25 Jul 2021 10:08:18 +0000 http://4theloveofsport.co.uk/?p=39038 Continue Reading →

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Judoka Prisca Awiti-Alcaraz may have been born and raised in Great Britain but she will proudly be flying the flag for Mexico at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

The 25-year-old will be the sole representative of her mother’s home country when the judo competition takes place in Tokyo’s legendary Nippon Budokan, the spiritual home of the sport.

She will also be cheered on by the Team Bath family she has been part of for the past six years, training with the high-performance judo squad at the University of Bath while also coaching and inspiring the next generation of judoka on Team Bath Tribe sports camps.

“Going to the Olympics has always been a dream and Japan being the home of judo makes it even more special that my first Games will be in Tokyo,” said Awiti-Alcaraz, who began competing for Mexico in 2017 thanks to her dual nationality status.

“I competed in the Budokan at the 2019 World Championships, which was the test event for the Olympics. For myself and everyone, it was a realisation that this was where the Games were going to be and it’s a pretty special place.

“I think the Olympic experience is going to be great, regardless of the Covid measures. We’re used to social distancing and wearing masks now, the last year has been good in helping us adapt to the environment the Games will take place in. It will feel normal and I’ll enjoy it equally as much.

“I’m really proud [to be Mexico’s sole representative] but there is a lot of pressure as well. Usually you have a team with you at competitions and you can gauge it on how things go for them. Because it’s only me, the whole of Mexico will be waiting for my day and will be watching. It’s quite a bit of pressure but I’m enjoying it.

“It’s an experience that not many people get to live. Obviously I’m going for a medal, that’s what everyone goes to an Olympic Games for, but I’m going to live in that moment and take everything in. It might come again, it might not so I’m going to enjoy it.”

Awiti-Alcaraz competes in the -63kg weight category and earned a continental quota spot during the gruelling three-year qualification process. She has just completed a week-long preparation camp in Mexico having spent the previous two weeks working at her Team Bath Sports Training Village base in the UK.

“There are three main centres for judo in Britain and I visited them all but Bath just felt like it was the place for me and I really believe in the coaching team here,” said Awiti-Alcaraz, who first moved to the University in 2015 when she began a Sports Performance degree.

“The people were really welcoming from the get-go and I also studied here, it was the place where you could get the best qualification. I studied for three years and it was home by then so I stayed on. It was a no brainer really, there was nowhere else I would rather carry on the journey.

“Obviously we have a permanent dojo and when the new gym was built a couple of years ago, that was amazing. We have the high-performance gym as well, our own private bit. It’s a high-performance atmosphere as it’s not just judo, there are so many other sports, so it’s a good place to meet other people who are on the same journey and want the same things as you, which is always important.”

Awiti-Alcaraz, who is in action on Tuesday 27th July, has also embraced the opportunity to pass on her experience to youngsters through Tribe camps and wants to provide them with more inspiration in Tokyo.

“It’s good for the kids to have role models,” she said. “It’s nice for the youngsters to have met me before I become an Olympian and see what everyday people can achieve if they put their mind to it and set goals, little and big ones.”

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

Courtesy of the Team Bath Press Office at Matchtight

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Six judoka selected to represent Team GB at the Olympics http://4theloveofsport.co.uk/2021/07/05/six-judoka-selected-to-represent-team-gb-at-the-olympics/ Mon, 05 Jul 2021 14:13:27 +0000 http://4theloveofsport.co.uk/?p=38713 Continue Reading →

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The British Olympic Association has confirmed the selection of six athletes who will represent Team GB in the judo competition at the rescheduled Tokyo Olympic Games.

Commonwealth Champion and two-time European Championship bronze medallist Ashley McKenzie competes at his third Olympic Games having made his debut in London. McKenzie will compete in the -60kg category.

Chelsie Giles will make her Olympic debut in Tokyo and heads to the home of judo in stunning form, having topped the podium at the Tel Aviv Grand Slam before winning silver at the Tbilisi Grand Slam. Giles travels to Tokyo seeded eighth, meaning she will not face another seeded fighter in the -52kg category until the quarter final stage, at the earliest.

Lucy Renshall had the most challenging qualification of the six after defeating three fighters all vying for the one -63kg qualification spot at the start of the year. Renshall secured her qualification with a gold medal at the Antalya Grand Slam following a fifth-place finish at the Tbilisi Grand Slam and will travel to Tokyo as an Olympic debutant.

Gemma Howell (pictured above left of photo) will compete in the -70kg category at her second Olympic Games. Paris Grand Slam bronze medallist, Howell, made her Olympic debut in 2012 and has overcome multiple injuries to secure her qualification to Tokyo.

Wales’ Natalie Powell competes at her second Olympic Games, having made her debut finishing seventh in Rio. Powell is a Commonwealth Champion, 3x European Championship bronze medallist and a World Championship bronze medallist. Powell will head to Tokyo to compete in the -78kg category seeded fifth following some impressive performances that saw her win gold at the 2020 Tel Aviv Grand Prix and silver at the 2019 Brasilia Grand Slam.

Commonwealth Games champion Sarah Adlington is the most experienced member of the British squad having made her British Judo senior debut back in 2008 at the European Championships in Lisbon. However, this will be her first Olympic Games after she qualified through the ‘Continental quota’.

Mark England, Team GB Chef de Mission for the Tokyo Olympic Games, said: “We are very proud to be sending such a strong judo squad to Tokyo to represent Team GB at the Olympic Games. There is a wealth of talent in this group, not only from those who have previous Olympic Games experience, but right across the board.

“Tokyo first hosted the Olympic Games in 1964 and there is something very special about Team GB returning there – to the home of judo – to show the world what they are capable of. Just weeks away from the Opening Ceremony on the 23rd July, we wish this team the very best in their final preparations.”

British Judo Performance Director and Judo Team Leader for Tokyo, Nigel Donohue can’t wait to see judo return to its spiritual home and for the experience that the Games will bring to the British athletes, commenting: “It is a fantastic achievement to qualify and gain selection for what will be an historical and iconic Olympic Games for Judo that is in the Budokan Hall where Judo made its debut at the 1964 Olympic Games. McKenzie will be competing in this third consecutive Olympic Games, Powell and Howell will compete in their second Games and Giles, Renshall and Adlington will debut in their first Olympic Games, who all go to Tokyo with some extortionary results in the cycle that sealed their qualification and selection.

“There is no doubt that this has been a challenging qualification period in many different ways both on and off the mat, but a challenge that our team have managed extremely well where we have seen some outstanding performances when we returned back to competition this year following the enforced break due to the World pandemic.

“As we head into Tokyo, we have a team who have a track record of medalling at key events in the cycle or have produced some world class performances on the road to Tokyo, which gives extreme confidence in knowing that we have a group of fighters who can compete and perform against the best in the world at this level. It’s a privilege to be representing TeamGB and believe these Games will be exciting, unpredictable and an opportunity to showcase to the world that we are ready for Tokyo 2020.”

Courtesy of Team GB

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Team Bath judoka Megan Fletcher targeting European medal http://4theloveofsport.co.uk/2021/04/17/team-bath-judoka-megan-fletcher-targeting-europeans/ Sat, 17 Apr 2021 11:48:26 +0000 http://4theloveofsport.co.uk/?p=37537 Continue Reading →

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“No athletes have had to qualify for an Olympics during a global pandemic before and I know if I get to Tokyo I will have really achieved something.” 

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.

 

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Team Bath Judo’s Prisca Awiti-Alcaraz moves step closer to Tokyo http://4theloveofsport.co.uk/2021/04/16/team-bath-judos-prisca-awiti-alcaraz-moves-step-closer-to-tokyo/ Fri, 16 Apr 2021 15:22:04 +0000 http://4theloveofsport.co.uk/?p=37518 Continue Reading →

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Team Bath judoka Prisca Awiti-Alcaraz recorded the best result of her international career to date – and gained more all-important Tokyo Olympic qualification points – when she won silver at the Panamerican Senior Championships in Guadalajara, Mexico this morning.

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.

 

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Three sports, three continents, nine medals http://4theloveofsport.co.uk/2019/05/28/three-sports-three-continents-nine-medals/ Tue, 28 May 2019 15:15:28 +0000 http://4theloveofsport.co.uk/?p=30514 Continue Reading →

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It was a brilliant Bank Holiday Weekend for sportspeople based at the University of Bath as they won nine medals, five of them gold, on three continents across three different sports – modern pentathlon, wheelchair fencing and judo.

Pentathlon GB athletes continued their fantastic start to a 2019 that includes this summer’s European Championships in Bath by securing four podium places at the fourth World Cup of the season in Prague, Czech Republic.

Kate French led the way with the third World Cup title of her career, her victory in the women’s individual competition based on a supreme fencing performance of 24 wins from 35 bouts.

That gave her a lead that she maintained throughout the rest of the final, finishing 14 seconds clear of the field, while team-mate and fellow University of Bath graduate Jess Varley produced a rapid run-shoot to bag bronze – the first World Cup medal of her career.

French said: “The first two competitions of the season didn’t quite go to plan for me so I needed a good result. I’m super happy that I pulled everything together today, it’s been a good day all around and I’m obviously delighted to end it by taking victory.”

Varley added: “I’m absolutely over the moon with my performance today. I’ve been working for this for my whole life and I’m so excited that it’s finally happened and I’ve finished on a World Cup podium.”

After gold and bronze on Saturday, there was silver for Pentathlon GB in the men’s individual final on Sunday as MJ Church Ambassador Joe Choong brilliantly chased down two athletes in the last 800m to secure his second World Cup medal of the season.

“A lot of the GB team have our families out here and I passed them on the final lap and could hear them cheering,” said Choong. “That support gave me the extra motivation for the last push. It should be amazing with hopefully hundreds of British fans cheering us on at the Europeans in August.”

The icing on the cake came in Monday’s mixed relay final as Sam Curry and Jo Muir, who were in the top four all day, struck gold in impressive fashion.

Wheelchair fencers Dimitri Coutya and Piers Gilliver, who train alongside Pentathlon GB athletes in the University of Bath Sports Training Village fencing salle, were also in fantastic form at the latest IWASF World Cup in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Coutya dominated the Category B foil competition, conceding just 19 hits in four knockout rounds, and then won his second gold in 24 hours when he defeated Ukraine’s Oleg Naumenko 15-6 in the epee final.

MJ Church Ambassador Gilliver – who, like Coutya, is coached by Peter Rome at the University – won his fourth World Cup Category A epee title of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic qualification period in emphatic style, beating Germany’s Maurice Schmidt 15-4 in the final. That came a couple of days after he had won bronze in the sabre competition.

Completing the medal-laden weekend was Team Bath judoka Ben Fletcher, who claimed his fourth podium place of 2019 when he won -100kg silver at the Hohhot Grand Prix in China.

Fletcher, coached by Juergen Klinger in the University’s judo dojo, needed just 15 seconds to beat Mongola’s Otgonbaatar Lkhagvasuren in the semi-finals but was pipped to the gold medal by Guham Cho of South Korea. The latest podium place sees Fletcher move up to seventh in the world rankings.

Find out more about high-performance sport at the University of Bath by visiting www.teambath.com/sport.

Courtesy of the Team Bath Press Office at Matchtight Ltd.

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