Tokyo 2020: Team Bath judoka past and present compete in Nippon Budokan while rowers enjoy morning of mixed fortunes
Team Bath Judo’s Megan Fletcher achieved her dream of competing on the Olympic stage when she and University of Bath graduate Gemma Howell contested the women’s -70kg category in the Nippon Budokan at Tokyo 2020 on Wednesday.
Team Ireland’s Fletcher (pictured) was edged out by Waza-Ari in the dying seconds of her tight-fought opening contest against world number eight Michaela Polleres of Austria, while Sports & Exercise Science graduate Howell’s bout against 2017 World silver-medallist Maria Perez went into three minutes of golden score before a third shido against the Brit meant she went out.
The first day of rowing finals saw the GB men’s quadruple scull crew, coached by former University of Bath-based World-Class Start coach Paul Stannard, make history by winning silver. It was the first medal ever won by a British boat in that category.
Two rowers who were coached by Stannard at the Team Bath Sports Training Village were also in action, with double Olympic Champion Helen Glover progressing to a third women’s pair final after finishing runners-up to Greece with Polly Swann in their semi-final.
There was disappointment for Biology graduate Sara Parfett and her women’s eight team-mates, though, as they finished fifth in the repechage and missed out on a place in the final.
Liam Broady, coached by Team Bath Tennis’s Dave Sammel, saw his fantastic run in the men’s singles come to a battling end as he lost 7-6 4-6 6-1 to France’s Jeremy Chardy in the third round.
Former Team Bath Tennis player Marcus Daniell is closing in on a medal in the men’s doubles after he and partner Michael Venus, representing New Zealand, won 6-3 3-6 10-7 in their quarter-final against Colombia’s Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah.
Twenty sportspeople who train at the Team Bath Sports Training Village are competing at the Tokyo Olympic Games, as well as 12 University of Bath graduates. Click here to follow their progress.
