Team Bath judoka Gregg Varey back on World Cup podium after winning Morocco medal

22 March 2017

Team Bath Judo’s Gregg Varey won his first medal at World Cup level since moving up to a higher weight category when he competed at the Casablanca Africa Open in Morocco.

Varey, who made the switch from -60kg to -66kg in 2014, beat reigning Junior European Champion Dzmitry Minkou of Belarus in the bronze medal contest.

He had earlier overcame Abdulaziz Albashi of Saudi Arabia and Spain’s Jose Aranda Olalla to reach the semi-finals, where he was edged out by eventual silver-medallist Gar Uriarte of Spain.

Juergen Klinger, High Performance Judo Coach at the University of Bath, said: “That was a great result for Gregg and provides a strong foundation for the year ahead.”

Varey, who is a self-funded athlete and helps with coaching at the University, is hoping to next be in international action in Romania in June.

Alex Paske, a British Army judo athlete who trains with the Team Bath squad, also made his first competitive appearance of 2017 in Casablanca.

Fighting in the -73kg category, the University of Bath Chemistry graduate beat Saudi Arabia’s Abdullah Hamad in his opening bout but was beaten by Luis Carmo of Portugal in the second round.

Meanwhile, Team Bath will once again play host to 100 of the West Country’s most promising young judoka when it stages a three-day Advanced Apprenticeship in Sporting Excellence (AASE) camp from April 4-6.

They will once again get to train alongside Team Bath’s high-performance judoka and Klinger said: “It is great to have so many people coming to get involved and see what we do here at the University.”

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