Team GB judoka Ben Fletcher is in the best shape of his career, physically and mentally, as he prepares to make his Olympic debut at Rio 2016. That is the view of Juergen Klinger, his long-term coach at the University of Bath Sports Training Village dojo, who believes that Fletcher can prove “a very dangerous opponent” to the more established judoka in the men’s -100kg competition on Thursday. Fletcher has been handed a tough draw...
Team Bath judoka Ben Fletcher is back in the automatic qualification places for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games after producing his best result at a senior major championships to date. The 24-year-old’s seventh-placed finish at the European Judo Championships in Kazan, Russia on Saturday lifted him back up to 29th in the Olympic qualification rankings for the -100kg weight category. With just one month of the two-year qualification period remaining and no more major tournaments...
Team Bath judoka Ben Fletcher can take a massive step closer to his dream Olympic debut this weekend when he represents Great Britain at the European Championships in Russia. Four-hundred precious Rio 2016 qualification points are up for grabs at the last major competition before this summer’s Games. Fletcher, who competes in the -100kg competition on Saturday, is currently just one position outside the automatic qualification places but still holds one of two European continental quota...
Team Bath judoka Ben Fletcher and Emmanuel Nartey can strengthen their claims for Rio 2016 Olympic Games selection when they compete in continental championships this month. Fletcher has been named in a 13-strong Great Britain team for this month’s European Judo Championships in Russia. It is the last major tournament before this summer’s Olympics, giving Fletcher – coached by Juergen Klinger at the Sports Training Village – a big chance to collect more priceless qualification points before the May...
Team Bath judoka Ben Fletcher recorded a second-successive seventh-placed finish when he competed at the Samsun Grand Prix in Turkey. The result gave the 24-year-old another 48 valuable points in his pursuit of Rio 2016 Olympic Games qualification, with just a handful of competitions remaining before the May 31 deadline. Fletcher, coached by Juergen Klinger at the University of Bath, saw his superior fitness come to the fore in his opening -100kg contest in Samsun as...
University of Bath student Gemma Howell won her first Grand Prix judo medal for two years after producing a string of excellent performances in Georgia. The Sport & Exercise Science student, competing in the -63kg weight division, beat judoka ranked 30, 20, eight and nine in the world on her way to a superb silver in the Tbilisi Grand Prix. “I’m really happy, this silver is the best senior medal I’ve won so far,” Howell...
Team Bath judoka Ben Fletcher and Emmanuel Nartey both took major steps on the road to the Rio 2016 Olympic Games as they won gold at the Casablanca African Open on Sunday. Gary Hall also claimed his second Continental Open medal of the year during an impressive weekend in Morocco. Victory in the -100kg weight division was the perfect way for Fletcher to celebrate his 24th birthday. “It was a good day’s judo – I’m not...
Team Bath judoka Jan Gosiewski and Gary Hall (pictured left) gained valuable Rio 2016 Olympic Games qualification points with fifth-placed finishes at last weekend’s Prague European Open. University of Bath PhD student Gosiewski’s strong run in the -73kg competition was only ended in the quarter-finals by a golden-score ippon from reigning Olympic champion Mansur Isaev of Russia. Gosiewski, who had beaten former European Championship medallist Hasan Vanlioglu of Turkey in the opening rounds, dropped into the...
The road to Rio will travel through the Czech Republic, Peru, Argentina, Georgia and Turkey for University of Bath judoka Jan Gosiewski over the next few weeks. So ahead of his final push for a dream Olympic place in Team GB, the 27-year-old has launched a crowd-funding campaign to help cover the costs of his extensive travels. The global nature of judo means that Gosiewski has to go around the world to take part in...
Judoka who train at Team Bath won three golds and eight medals in total during an impressive weekend at the British Judo Championships in Sheffield. University of Bath Sport Performance student Prisca Awiti-Alcaraz (pictured second from left), who is supported by a King Scholarship, set the tone on Saturday as she was crowned as national junior champion in the -63kg weight division. The following day’s Senior Championships saw Gary Hall, a bronze-medallist at the Glasgow 2014...
