Five Medals for Great Britain on Day 1 of 2026 European Veterans Championships
October 23, 2026
Day 1 of the 2026 European Veterans Judo Championships saw Great Britain secure two silver medals and three bronze medals, alongside several other strong results, in Portimão, Portugal.
Stephen Preece claimed silver in the -100kg M7 category, securing a career-best result and his first international medal. It was a step up from his fifth-place finish at the 2025 championships.
Preece opened with a quarter-final victory, scoring yuko in golden score, before defeating fellow Brit Nigel Thompson to reach the final. He was ultimately awarded hansoku-make after receiving a third shido, but took home an excellent silver medal.
Nigel Thompson (Norwich Premier JC) went on to contest the bronze medal fight, where he secured a decisive victory over his Spanish opponent to claim a place on the podium and a second medal for Great Britain in the category.
Alexander Castello (Moberly JC) also secured bronze in the -100kg M7 category, adding to Great Britain’s medal tally in the division. Eight years after making his debut at the European Veterans Championships, where he finished fifth, Castello returned to the podium with an impressive performance.
He made a strong start in his quarter-final, scoring two yukos before sealing the victory with ippon. After a closely contested semi-final, he bounced back in the bronze medal fight with another dominant performance to secure his place on the podium.
James Waithe (Bradley Stoke JC) also secured silver, putting in an impressive performance in the -90kg M8 category to reach the final on his debut at the championships.
Waithe opened with a dominant victory, scoring ippon in under a minute, before coming through a closely contested quarter-final that went into golden score. He continued his strong form in the semi-final to book his place in the final, where he was ultimately awarded hansoku-make.
Ashley Parrette (Croydon JC) claimed bronze in the -90kg M7 category, matching his best result at the championships after battling through a challenging day of competition.
A defeat in the Round of 32 sent Parrette into the repechage, but he showed excellent resilience to win all three of his subsequent contests. Two of those victories came by ippon in under 20 seconds, while a waza-ari win secured his place in the bronze medal fight. He then sealed the medal in style, scoring ippon in just 35 seconds to cap an impressive comeback.
Elsewhere, David McGuire (Genki JC) secured fifth place in the -100kg M8 category, while Nicholas Collins (Havering JC) and Glen Judd (Winchester JC) both finished seventh in the -81kg M8 division. Clive Biggs (Erdington JC) also claimed seventh place in the -66kg M9 category.
Congratulations to the whole team on an excellent opening day in Portimão!
