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Britain has three top players
in action in Belarus this weekend at the 2009 Minsk World Cup.
Sarah Clark, Sarah Adlington and Sally Conway train out of the
Ratho training centre which is part of the BJPI network.
Sarah Clark (-63kg)
and Sarah Adlington (+78kg) had recent successes at the GB World
Cup, both taking gold medals.
Adlington, originally
from Shrewsbury, had a boost of confidence after taking the +78kg
title for the second time running. “I was really pleased with
my performance at the GB World Cup and I hope to keep this up
for the Minsk World Cup too”, she said.
After a disappointing
World Championships, Sarah Clark was keen to get back on track
at the GB World Cup and successfully did so. Competing again in
the -63kg contest, after dropping down to -57kg earlier this year,
Clark looks a strong contender for the medals.
Sally Conway, who finished
in 5th place at the Senior World Championships in August, will
be competing in the -70kg weight category.
All three competitors
will fly out on Thursday 6th October to the women’s two day event
over the weekend of the 10th -11th.
The Minsk World Cup
forms part of the new World Ranking system, announced by the International
Judo Federation (IJF), which commenced on the 1st January and
contributes to 2012 Olympic qualification and each individual’s
World standing.
The circuit features
four Grand Slams (Paris, Moscow, Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo), five
Grand Prix (Hamburg, Tunis, United States of America, Beijing
and Abu Dhabi) and 17 World Cups, including the GB World Cup,
plus the Masters to be held in Seoul this year.
New IJF rule changes have changed
the face of World judo in recent months including the removal
of the repechage from Grand Slam tournaments (Paris, Moscow, Rio
de Janeiro and Tokyo) meaning there is no opportunity to fight
for the bronze medal if a player loses prior to the semi-final.
The repechage has also been reduced in all other international
tournaments meaning obtaining a good World ranking and favourable
seeding is vital.
Media
Contact:
Nicola Turner
British Judo Association
(t) 01509 631695
nicolaturner@britishjudo.org.uk
©
David Finch
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