Best Grand Prix result keeps Team Bath judoka Ben Fletcher on course for Rio 2016

09 May 2016

Team Bath Judo’s Ben Fletcher produced his best-ever Grand Prix result in Azerbaijan on Sunday to maintain his push for a Rio 2016 Olympic Games qualification place.

World number ten Jose Armenteros was among the judoka Fletcher overcame on his way to a seventh-placed finish in the men’s -100kg weight category in Baku.

Hungary’s Miklos Cirjenics was runner-up, moving him into the automatic qualification places for Rio, but Fletcher still holds one of two continental quota places for this summer’s Games.

And with just one tournament remaining before the qualification deadline, this weekend’s Grand Prix in Kazakhstan, Fletcher remains firmly on track to make his Olympic debut.

Juergen Klinger, Head Judo Coach at the University of Bath, said: “It was a very tough tournament with some really good players but Ben fought really, really well.

“Only a little mistake against the Russian [Adlan Bisultanov] in the quarter-finals cost him fifth place or even a medal. He had taken on board the lessons of his previous tournaments, made improvements and can be pleased with his performance.”

Training partner Emmanuel Nartey also holds a continental quota place for Rio, despite suffering a first-round defeat to Kazakhstan’s Didar Khamza in Baku.

Nartey, who represents Ghana, will also be joining Fletcher in Almaty this weekend.

For a full summary of Team Bath athletes hoping to secure a berth at Rio, see our Rio 2016 page.

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