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Britain has both a men’s
and women’s squad in action in Europe this weekend at the first
World Cups of the 2009 season.
This weekend also marks
the first time that the British team have been action internationally
since a disappointing Beijing Olympics where the team returned
with just two 7th places.
Just two players from the
Games, Craig Fallon and Euan Burton will be competing this weekend.
Burton at -81kg, and Craig Fallon at -66kg, a weight category
higher than his former -60kg weight class.
They have been selected
as part of the 11 strong men’s team who will compete in Georgia
at the Tbilisi World Cup. Joining them will be James Millar
at -60kg, Colin Oates at -66kg, Alex Farbon and Jan Gosiewski
at 73kg, Matthew Purssey and Tom Reed at -81kg, Jonathon Purssey
and James Austin at -90kg and Andrew Burns at -100kg.
A women’s team of eight
has travelled to Bulgaria where they will compete in the Sofia
World Cup. Sophie Johnstone will compete at -52kg, Faith
Pitman and Gemma Howell at -57kg, Michelle Holt and Sally Conway
in -70kg, Lindsay Purves and Sian Wilson at -78kg, and Sarah Adlington
at +78kg.
Tbilisi and Sofia will
be the first World Cup’s under the direction of new Head Coach,
Patrick Roux a former coach and Assistant Technical Director with
the French Judo Federation. This weekend Roux will be Head
of Delegation with the men’s team in Georgia while Jane Bridge
will oversee the women’s team in Bulgaria. Bridge was Britain’s
first ever World Champion (either male or female) and has since
forged out a successful career as a coach, based in Paris, coaching
at Peugeot Mulhouse and INSEP.
The next World Cup will
be the Paris Grand Slam (formerly Paris Super World Cup) for both
men and women on the 7th & 8th February.
The British leg of the
men’s World Cup circuit will take place at the NIA, Birmingham
on the 19th & 20th September.
Live results will be broadcast
this weekend on www.ippon.org
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