10 British Judoka Set for 2026 Abu Dhabi Grand Slam
October 28, 2026
10 British judoka will take to the mat at the 2026 Abu Dhabi Grand Slam from Thursday 29 to Saturday 31 October, looking to secure podium finishes and valuable Olympic ranking points.
Charlie Ayre (Tees Valley JC) will compete in the -60kg category, looking to continue the form that has seen him claim silver at the Qingdao Grand Prix and Sofia European Open, as well as bronze on his Commonwealth Games debut, in what has been a breakthrough year for the 20-year-old.
Michael Fryer (Rush Judo) enters the -66kg category, and will be look to build on the form that saw him claim bronze on his Commonwealth Games debut and finish seventh at the Paris Grand Slam earlier this year.
Irakli Goginashvili (Palavani) will compete in the -73kg division, with the event coming just weeks before the Junior World Championships, where he will look to build on the bronze medal he claimed in 2025. So far this year, the 20-year-old has secured gold at the Kaunas Junior European Cup and silver at the La Nucia/Benidorm European Open, alongside fifth-place finishes at the Ulaanbaatar Grand Slam and Junior European Championships.
Lachlan Moorhead (Penistone JC) will fight in the -90kg category, looking to replicate his performance at last month’s Hungary Grand Slam, where he claimed bronze for a career-best result. The achievement marked an important milestone in his transition to -90kg following his move up from -81kg earlier this year.
Ollie Barratt (Dragons Academy) will compete in the -100kg division, having recorded a fifth-place finish on his Commonwealth Games debut earlier this year. He will be joined by Max Gregory (Drake JC), who claimed bronze on his Commonwealth Games debut and finished seventh at the Dushanbe Grand Slam in 2026, giving Great Britain a strong duo in the category.
Chelsie Giles (Coventry JC) will take on the -57kg category, competing in just her second event of the year. She will be joined by Acelya Toprak (Camberley JC), who is fresh off making her debut appearance in the Champions League representing SGS – an appearance which saw her defeat Georgia’s World No.1 Eteri Liparteliani along the way. Acelya became a Commonwealth Games champion in Glasgow this year, claiming gold alongside fifth-place finishes at the Senior European Championships, Tbilisi Grand Slam and Lima Grand Prix.
Kelly Petersen-Pollard (Hardy Spicer 83) will compete in the -70kg category, looking to build on her Commonwealth Games gold and seventh-place finish at the Upper Austria Grand Prix as she targets another strong result in the UAE.
Emma Reid (Redbridge JC) completes the squad in the -78kg division, looking to continue a strong year that has established her as one of the team’s most successful performers. With gold at the Commonwealth Games, silver at the Senior European Championships and fifth-place finishes at the Tbilisi Grand Slam and Qingdao Grand Prix, Reid will be aiming to secure another top result in Abu Dhabi.
Good luck to all 10 British judoka competing!
Catch all of the action live on JudoTV from 7:30am on Thursday and Saturday, and 8:00am on Friday.
