There was an all Team Bath final at the 2015 British Judo Open, which took place in the SSE Arena, Wembley over the weekend. Gemma Howell and Megan Fletcher usually fight in different weight categories but both were entered in the -70kg competition this time. And both progressed to the final, where they produced – in the words of coach Juergen Klinger – “a fantastic fight, very open and very fast”. It went all the...
Team Bath Judo Club’s Ben Fletcher said he “couldn’t be happier” after winning his first-ever Grand Prix medal in Mongolia. Fletcher, coached by Juergen Klinger at the Sports Training Village, also secured 120 Olympic qualification points to boost his hopes of reaching Rio 2016. “My first-ever Grand Prix medal – a really good day and performance,” he tweeted. “Couldn’t be happier.” And there was a gold medal for University of Bath graduate Gemma Gibbons who...
Team Bath Judo Club coach Juergen Klinger rued the “tactical mistakes” which contributed to early exits for Megan Fletcher, Ben Fletcher and Gemma Howell at the European Games in Baku, Azerbaijan. All three were in good positions in the fights they lost but went on to endure frustrating defeats. Commonwealth champion Megan Fletcher was up against Poland's Katarzyna Klys in their -70kg round-of-32 contest but lost out following a pair of yukos. “Megan got thrown...
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...
Team Bath Judo Club’s Megan Fletcher says she is going into the European Games full of confidence after her gold-medal triumph at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games. Fletcher is joined in Baku, Azerbaijan by brother Ben and Gemma Howell, who are all coached by Juergen Klinger at the University of Bath. And she is targeting another international medal as she pursues her ultimate ambition of qualifying for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. “If I can...
Commonwealth swimming champion Siobhan-Marie O'Connor started the Olympic Day Run to crown a successful Team Bath Community Activity Day at the University of Bath on Saturday. Nearly 1,000 guests of all ages paid a visit to the world-class Sports Training Village facilities, enjoying a wide range of sports and activities. The centrepiece was the annual Olympic Day Run over 5m and 3km, which got under way when London 2012 Olympian O’Connor – who trains at the...
Team Bath Judo Club’s Ben Fletcher, Megan Fletcher and Gemma Howell are finalising their preparations for this month’s European Games at a training camp in Mongolia. University of Bath graduate Gemma Gibbons – the London 2012 Olympic silver-medalist – is also part of the touring group. It is the first time the British Judo Association has gone to the Central Asian country, whose judoka are considered to be among the best in the world. “They...
The University of Bath is saddened to learn of the passing of Roy Inman OBE. He was a highly respected member of the judo community worldwide, first as an athlete and then as a coach and official. Roy was the high performance coach of the British judo team, with his players winning six Olympic medals and 13 World Championships medals including eight world champions - an incomparable record of success. Roy was the driving force...
Chris Hotchen was named as the University of Bath’s Sports Personality of the Year during a great night for badminton at the annual Blues Awards ceremony. The Chemistry PhD student topped a poll of members of the Students’ Union Sport from a shortlist which also featured rugby player Freddie Clarke, rower Sam Courty and swimmer Jay Lelliott. He was presented with his award by the University of Bath Vice-Chancellor, Professor Dame Glynis Breakwell, pictured. Red...
Great Britain international Ben Fletcher struck gold during a successful weekend for Team Bath Judo Club at the African Open in Tunis, Tunisia. Fletcher, who had to withdraw from the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games after suffering a knee injury in training, showed he is back to full fitness by beating Russia’s Khaybula Magomedov in the -100kg final. Older sister Megan Fletcher - a gold-medalist at Glasgow 2014 - took bronze in the women’s -70kg weight...
