GB Squad Set for Qingdao Grand Prix Challenge
June 25, 2026
This weekend, an 11-strong British squad will travel to China to compete at the Qingdao Grand Prix. For the majority of the team, the event marks the beginning of their Olympic qualification campaign for LA 2028, which officially got underway last week.
Charlie Ayre (Tees Valley Judo) will compete in the -60kg category, entering the third Grand Prix of his career. He brings strong experience from an impressive year so far, having made his Senior European Championships debut, secured silver at the Sofia European Open, and earned his first selection to represent Team England at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games.
Ayre has received a bye into the Round of 32 and will discover his opening opponent following the conclusion of the Round of 64.
Ethan Nairne (Bradley Stoke JC) lines up in the -73kg category following a 7th-place finish at his debut Senior European Championships. Earlier this year, he claimed gold at the Upper Austria Grand Prix and silver at the Sofia European Open. Nairne will be aiming for a podium finish this weekend as he looks to begin his Olympic qualification campaign in strong form and build momentum ahead of his Commonwealth Games debut with Team England.
Nairne will begin his campaign against Robert Klacar (CRO) in the Round of 64.
Also competing at -73kg, Ben Levy (Budokwai) will represent Team England for the first time next month. He heads into Qingdao looking to replicate the performance that earned him his maiden IJF World Tour medal—a bronze at the Paris Grand Slam earlier this year.
Levy opens his Qingdao Grand Prix campaign against Mark Hristov (BUL) in the Round of 64.
Lachlan Moorhead (Penistone JC) contests the -90kg category, competing in just his second event at the weight after stepping up from -81kg. He made his debut in the division last month at the La Nucia/Benidorm European Open, where he recorded a number of wins as he continues to settle into the category.
Moorhead will face Reem Fridman Zilberstein (ISR) in the Round of 64.
In the -100kg category, Ollie Barratt (Dragons Academy) arrives fresh from his selection to represent Team Wales at the Commonwealth Games. He will be looking to deliver a strong performance in Qingdao to build form ahead of Glasgow and make a positive start to his Olympic qualification campaign.
Barratt will take on Zlatko Kumric (CRO) in the Round of 32.
Joining him at -100kg is Max Gregory (Drake JC), who finished 7th at last month’s Dushanbe Grand Slam. Gregory also placed 7th at this event in 2025 and will be aiming to improve on that result in Qingdao.
Gregory begins his campaign against Benjamin Mataseje (SVK) in the Round of 32.
Tatum Keen (Bradley Stoke JC) competes in the -52kg category and has already enjoyed significant success on the IJF World Tour this year, earning selection for Team England at the Commonwealth Games. She narrowly missed out on a first World Tour medal with 5th place at the Upper Austria Grand Prix in March, before going one better with a silver medal at the Tbilisi Grand Slam just two weeks later. Keen has proven her ability to challenge for medals and will be targeting another strong finish this weekend.
Keen will face Aoyu Xu (CHN) in the Round of 32.
Acelya Toprak (Camberley JC) takes to the mat in the -57kg category and will be determined to convert recent near-misses into a podium finish. She recorded 5th place at both the Tbilisi Grand Slam in March and the Senior European Championships in April—strong performances that underline her medal potential.
Toprak opens her campaign against Inbal Shemesh (ISR) in the Round of 32.
Kelly Petersen-Pollard (Hardy Spicer 83) brings a wealth of IJF World Tour experience into the -70kg category. She will be aiming to build on her 7th-place finish at the Upper Austria Grand Prix in March as she looks to secure her first medal of the year.
Petersen-Pollard will begin her campaign against Yuanjia Yang (CHN) in the Round of 64.
Rachael Hawkes (Camberley JC) also competes at -70kg, continuing a busy competition schedule as she prepares to represent Team Northern Ireland at the Commonwealth Games. She has already achieved strong results this year, including silver at the Riga Senior European Cup, bronze at the Algiers African Open, and 5th place at the Podgorica Senior European Cup.
Hawkes opens against Ingrid Nilsson (SWE) in the Round of 64.
Emma Reid (Redbridge JC) enters the -78kg category in excellent form. She recently claimed a silver medal at the Senior European Championships, her first at the event, following a 5th-place finish at the Tbilisi Grand Slam. With four Grand Prix medals already to her name, Reid will be aiming to add a fifth in Qingdao and make a strong start to her Olympic qualification campaign.
Reid will face Yanzi Song (CHN) in the Round of 32 as she begins her pursuit of a fifth Grand Prix medal.
