Team Bath Judo’s Ben Fletcher strikes gold at Pan-American Open in Uruguay
Team Bath judo player Ben Fletcher has secured the biggest win of his career to date by taking gold at the Pan-American Open in Uruguay.
Fletcher (pictured) beat Brazil’s 2007 world champion Luciano Correa in the final of the over the under-100kg class to take gold in Montevideo.
Juergen Klinger, head judo coach at the University of Bath, said: “It was a fantastic result for Ben, especially as it’s his first year as a senior and he has recently moved up from under-90kg. This was a big step forward for him.
“He beat the 2007 world champion strongly in the final and that will be great for his confidence.”
Fletcher’s performance in Montevideo strengthens his claim for a place in the GB team for next month’s European Championships in Hungary.
Andy Burns also fought well, finishing fifth in the under-90kg class, while Gregg Varey came seventh in the under-60kg class.
Meanwhile, two of Team Bath’s young judo players were the only GB medals at the European Juniors Cup in Coimbra, Portugal.
University of Bath Sports Performance student Natasha Maslen won bronze in the under-70kg class and Jemima Duxberry took bronze in the under-63kg class.
