It was a busy weekend for Welsh Judo, both home and abroad.
JudoScotland Training Camp
On Friday our Welsh Cadets made the long trip up North to Scotland to join the Scottish Development Squad for a weekend long training camp. With over 100 athletes on the mat, our judoka performed fantastically over the course of the weekend and put in some solid training that is they will be undoubtedly showing off as the competitions begin coming in thick and fast. Performance Pathways Coach Stephen Abberley commented "The weekend was just what I was looking for from the team. Lots of sessions and lots of randori."
European Cup, Dubrovnik, Croatia
It was another busy weekend for Oliver Barratt (-100kg) as he was back on the mat in Croatia at the Dubrovnik European Cup, where is took a 5th place finish. Barratt will be back in action at the U23 European Championships taking place in Budapest, HUN on the 5-7 November.
Welsh judoka Josh Bell (-66kg) also competed. He lost first fight but took more valuable international experience away to build on going forward.
Venray International Tournament, Venray, Netherlands
We had two Welsh judoka in action at the Venray International Tournament, Venray, Netherlands. Congratualtions to Callum Bennett (-60kg) on taking strong 5th place finish and Rhys Eckerly (-73kg) who took 7th.
Paris Grand Slam
Natalie Powell (+78kg) was in action for the first time since the Tokyo Olympics at the Paris Grand Slam. Powell defeated Mao Izumi (JPN) in the opening round of the -78kg competition, however defeats to Luise Malzahm (GER) and Inbar Lanir (ISR) saw Powell finish in 7th place on her return to competition.
Samurai Open and Samurai Ladies Open, Kidderminster
Back in the UK, a number of Welsh judoka we in action at two events hosted by Samurai Judo Club in Kidderminster, the Samurai Open and Samurai Ladies Open over the weekend. For many this was the first competition since before the pandemic, not that you’d be able to tell if the brilliant performances are anything to go by. Congratulations to everyone who competed
