Four-Medal Final Day Caps Outstanding World VI Championships
September 30, 2026
Great Britain’s Visually Impaired (VI) squad produced a superb final day at the 2026 IBSA Judo World Championships in Tbilisi, securing four medals as Evan Molloy, Dan Powell, Dan English and Jack Hodgson all stepped onto the world podium.
Powell claimed silver in the -95kg J1 category, while Molloy (-81kg J2), English (+95kg J1) and Hodgson (+95kg J2) all secured brilliant bronze medals to cap an outstanding Championships for the British team.
Reigning World Champion Dan Powell (Ryecroft JC) once again demonstrated why he remains one of the leading fighters in world VI judo, battling through the -95kg J1 category to reach another World Championship final.
Powell entered the competition looking to defend the world title he won in 2025 and ultimately had to settle for silver in Tbilisi after a Paralympic Champion vs World Champion tussle in the final.
The result adds another major championship medal to Powell’s remarkable collection and ensures he remains firmly among the world’s leading fighters as attention continues to turn towards LA 2028.
Powell said:
“Absolutely proud as punch to get a medal. For me, any colour medal at a World Championships is an incredible achievement.”
“I feel like I performed really well and got back to near my best today, and it’s great to feel like I performed which I don’t feel like I have for the past couple of tournaments. I’m really looking forward to the future now and aiming on a qualification spot for LA.”
Evan Molloy (Devizes JC) continued his impressive run of form by adding another World Championships medal to his collection in the -81kg J2 category.
Molloy arrived in Tbilisi having claimed silver at the IBSA European Championships last month and bronze at the 2025 World Championships.
Another place on the podium in Georgia further underlined his consistency at the highest level as the LA 2028 Paralympic qualification cycle gathers momentum.
Reflecting on his performance, Molloy said:
“Really happy to say that I am now a two-time world medallist. Especially with it being two in a row. I think the consistency has been really good especially at this time when valuable qualification points are up for grabs. In terms of the performance, I am happy to come away with a medal and there are definitely things to take away and work on.
There was a landmark result for Dan English (Tees Valley JC), who secured the first World Championships medal of his career with bronze in the +95kg J1 category.
English has enjoyed a remarkable rise since transitioning into judo from football and arrived at the World Championships having won his first European Championships medal, also bronze, last month.
In his bronze medal contest, English faced the reigning Paralympic Champion and produced one of the performances of his career to secure a memorable victory and his first place on a World Championship podium.
“It’s been a brilliant day. Absolutely proud as punch to get a medal, especially my first World Championships in judo. Really want to thank everyone from Tees Valley Judo Club for all the support they give, especially Liam, all the time he dedicates on a one-to-one basis helping me get to this level.
“Really looking forward to the future now and aiming on a qualification spot for LA.”
The result represents another major step forward for English, who has established himself on the international stage in a relatively short period of time.
Jack Hodgson (Grimsby JC) rounded off a fantastic day for Great Britain by securing bronze in the +95kg J2 category.
The experienced Hodgson has battled back from significant injury problems and only returned to competition earlier this year, winning European Championship bronze last month.
His World Championships bronze therefore represents another significant milestone in his return to the highest level of international competition.
Reflecting on the achievement, Hodgson said:
“Winning the world medal today was unbelievable for me. It was the first time I’ve won a proper World Championship medal, so I’m incredibly proud of myself and incredibly grateful for the team around me – the medical team, the coaching staff, the guys at British Judo and National Lottery, all the people that make the reality of what we do possible.
“And, of course, just to be able to bring home a medal to my family, especially my little girl, who sent me away saying, ‘Daddy, can you please bring me home a medal?’
“That’s what I was thinking about when I went out, and I got to do that for her. So, yeah, really special. A really special day and I’m really proud of myself as well. It’s been a long time coming.”
Head Paralympic Coach Ian Johns praised the performances across the Championships and believes the results demonstrate the strength of the British VI programme as the team builds towards Los Angeles 2028.
“I knew the team were ready to perform. They’ve prepared so really, really well over the last few months,” said Johns.
“Dan Powell, three-times world medallist now. Evan Molloy, two-times world medallist. Really cool that Jack, after some big injuries, has come back through and taken a fantastic medal. I’m really, really happy for Jack.
“And then, obviously, Dan English – first-time world medallist, first time at Worlds after transitioning over from football. I think he’s done an amazing job in such a short period of time. It’s only taken three years and he’s done amazing.
“His bronze medal match was against the Paralympic Champion. He fought that with absolutely incredible judo, so I’m really, really happy with that.
“Evie was brilliant. She was so unlucky. She could have easily been on the rostrum on another day. Some of the wins that she had were amazing, and I’m really happy with how the team performed.
“We’ve just put ourselves in a really strong place for qualification for Los Angeles. It doesn’t mean that we’re there yet, but it definitely shows that we are an incredibly good team.”
The four-medal haul on the final day followed seventh-place finishes earlier in the Championships for Miles Soloman (-70kg J2) and Evie Gormley (-60kg J1).
For Soloman, simply returning to the international stage represented an important milestone. The Oxford Judo fighter was competing for the first time following an eight-month injury lay-off and battled his way to seventh place on his return.
Gormley, meanwhile, continued her rapid development at the highest level of VI judo. Competing at her first World Championships, the youngster secured a seventh-place finish and further valuable experience on the world stage.
The results in Tbilisi continue an excellent start to the LA 2028 cycle for Great Britain’s VI squad and provide another major boost as the team turns its attention to the next stage of Paralympic qualification.
