Tributes paid to University of Bath judo pioneer Roy Inman OBE

24 June 2015

Juergen Klinger, the high performance judo coach at the University of Bath, has paid tribute to predecessor Roy Inman OBE following his passing.

Roy, pictured, was the driving force behind the establishment of the high performance judo programme at the University of Bath and became its first technical director.

He was personal coach to Kate Howey MBE when she won silver at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games and also delivered on the University’s sport and exercise science course.

His funeral took place in Amersham, Buckinghamshire, last week and the University of Bath was represented by Juergen and one of the current judoka, Conor Murphy.

“There were 500 people there and it showed very clearly that there was a lot of love and respect for Roy,” said Juergen.

“A lot of the athletes that Roy had guided to Olympics and World Championships were there, including Kate Howey, and it was important that someone was there to represent the programme here.

“The funeral started with Roy’s favourite song, My Way by Frank Sinatra, and it ended with Wipeout, which he used to play in training sessions. It was a nice reminder of Roy and his strong character.”

Roy, a prolific author, competed at international level for nine years before going on to enjoy an outstanding coaching career, with his players winning six Olympic medals and 13 World Championships medals.

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