GB Judo Squad Ready for 2026 Tbilisi Grand Slam
March 19, 2026
Grand Slam action returns this weekend as a strong eight-athlete British squad heads to Tbilisi, Georgia, ready to make their mark on the IJF World Tour.
In the -73kg division, Ben Levy (Budokwai) arrives in excellent form following a breakthrough bronze medal at the Paris Grand Slam, his first podium finish on the IJF World Tour. Competing in just his second event of the year, Levy carries strong momentum, having also secured fifth place at the Zagreb Grand Prix at the end of 2025. He will be looking to build on that success in Tbilisi. He will begin his campaign on Saturday in the round of 32, where he will face the winner of an earlier contest.
Joining him in the same category, Ethan Nairne (Bradley Stoke JC) is enjoying a remarkable run of form. He claimed gold at the Grand Prix Upper Austria, defeating three Olympic medallists on his way to a maiden World Tour title. In doing so, he became only the fourth British male judoka to win Grand Prix gold, and the first in five years. Earlier this year, he also took silver at the Sofia European Open. With confidence high, Nairne will be one to watch this weekend. He is also in action on Saturday, entering in the round of 32 against the winner of an earlier contest.
Ollie Barratt (Dragons Academy) heads to his fourth World Tour event of the year in the -100kg division, continuing to build experience against top-level opposition. Having taken valuable lessons from his previous competitions, he will be aiming to convert that experience into his strongest performance of 2026 so far. He gets underway on Sunday in the round of 32, where he faces Romeo Leveque (FRA).
In the -52kg category, Tatum Keen (Bradley Stoke JC) comes into the competition full of confidence after a fifth-place finish at the Grand Prix Upper Austria. She narrowly missed out on her first World Tour medal but showed excellent resilience following a tough Paris Grand Slam, and will be eager to go one step further in Tbilisi. She gets underway on Friday in the round of 16, taking on Elene Gvazava (GEO) in her opening contest.
Acelya Toprak (Camberley JC) competes in the -57kg division, looking to return to the strong form she displayed towards the end of 2025. After a demanding opening contest at the Grand Prix Upper Austria, she will be determined to reset and deliver a stronger showing this weekend. Her campaign starts on Friday in the round of 16, where she will meet the winner emerging from the earlier contest.
Kelly Petersen-Pollard (Hardy Spicer 83) enters the -70kg category off the back of her best result of the year, finishing seventh in Upper Austria. After a challenging period, she showed clear progress in Linz, coming close to reaching a bronze medal contest. She will take confidence from that performance as she looks to continue building momentum. She is set to compete on Saturday, opening her campaign in the round of 32 against Aleksandra Andric (SRB).
Emma Reid (Redbridge JC) lines up in the -78kg division, aiming to bounce back from a series of tough draws on the World Tour. At her most recent outing in Upper Austria, she was narrowly beaten by the eventual silver medallist. With her wealth of experience and proven pedigree, Reid will be determined to return to form in Tbilisi. She will start her challenge on Sunday in the round of 16, where she meets Maidelines Gorguet-Veranes (ROU).
Rounding out the squad in the -78kg category is Shelley Ludford (JC Osaka). She enjoyed success earlier this year with gold at the Ljubljana European Open and followed that with a solid performance at the Grand Prix Upper Austria, where she reached the round of 16 and defeated a multiple-time Grand Prix medallist in her opening bout. She will be looking to build on that momentum this weekend. She is also in action on Sunday, beginning in the round of 32 against Slaviana Rylkevich (BLR).
Best of luck to the entire British team competing in Tbilisi this weekend!
