Charlie Ayre Wins Career-First Grand Prix Medal in Qingdao
June 26, 2026
Charlie Ayre (Tees Valley Judo) produced an exceptional performance at the Qingdao Grand Prix, taking the silver medal, securing the first IJF World Tour medal of his promising career.
Competing in the -60kg category, the Yorkshire-born judoka fought through five contests on his way to the podium. He opened his day in the Round of 32 against Maximilian Heyder (GER), making light work of the contest and scoring ippon inside two minutes to progress comfortably.
In the Round of 16, he faced Michel Augusto (BRA), a 2024 Olympian with strong IJF World Tour results and currently ranked 6th in the world in the category. In an incredibly tight contest, Ayre secured a yuko three and a half minutes into the bout and showed excellent composure to hold his lead through to the end, booking his place in the quarter-final.
Kuchkarov Samariddin (UZB), another highly regarded 20-year-old prospect in the division, awaited in the last eight. Ayre set the tone early, taking the lead with a waza-ari after two and a half minutes. His opponent responded shortly after with a yuko, but the British judoka sealed victory with waza-ari-awasete-ippon just 15 seconds from the end to reach his first-ever IJF World Tour semi-final.
With a place in the medal contest at stake, Ayre faced Enzo Jean (FRA) in a battle for a spot in the final. With nothing to separate the pair in normal time, the contest went into golden score. After an exhausting 9 minutes and 33 seconds, Ayre showed outstanding resilience and fighting spirit to score a decisive yuko and secure his place in his first IJF World Tour final.
In the final, Ayre met Hayato Kondo (JPN), an experienced fighter with multiple World Tour medals to his name, including gold at last year’s edition of this event. Despite Ayre’s excellent effort and strong performance, it was the Japanese fighter who took the gold medal on this occasion.
Ayre’s silver medal marks a significant milestone in his increasingly promising career, as he continues to demonstrate his ability to compete with the very best in the world.
Reflecting on his achievement, Ayre said: “It’s a big personal milestone for me.
“I feel as though I’ve been building up to this result throughout the year so far, and it’s a really satisfying feeling to be on the podium for the first time at a World Tour event.”
This result comes shortly after Charlie’s selection to represent Team England at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games next month, where he will once again be aiming to challenge for medals.
An incredible achievement, congratulations, Charlie!
