GB Judoka Ready for Action in Dushanbe and Istanbul

This weekend, six senior judoka will travel to Tajikistan for the Dushanbe Grand Slam, while four junior athletes head to Turkey for the Istanbul Junior European Cup.

There’s no rest for six members of the recent European Championships squad, who are back in action in Dushanbe just days after competing in Podgorica.

Michael Fryer (Rush Judo) and Charlie Young (Ryecroft) will both represent Great Britain in the -66kg category. Young opened his European Championships campaign with an impressive victory and will aim to continue his strong form in 2025. Fryer, competing in his first Senior European Championships, was eliminated in the opening round but gained valuable experience that he’ll carry into this weekend.

In the -100kg division, Ollie Barratt (Dragons Academy) returns to competition looking to rebound from a challenging outing in Podgorica.

Tatum Keen (Bradley Stoke), another European Championships debutant, also exited in the opening round last weekend but has shown strong form earlier this year in the -52kg division. She’ll be looking to put that experience to good use in Dushanbe.

Kelly Petersen-Pollard (Hardy Spicer 83), fresh off her third appearance at the European Championships, is chasing her third medal of the year. She struck gold at the Dubrovnik Senior European Cup and now looks to add another podium finish in the -70kg category.

Rounding out the squad, Emma Reid (Redbridge) will compete in the -78kg division. An Olympian and World Championship medallist, Reid narrowly missed out on a bronze medal last week in Podgorica, finishing fifth. In excellent form, she’s one to watch in Dushanbe and a strong contender for a Grand Slam result.

Heading to Turkey, four junior judoka will represent Great Britain at the Istanbul Junior European Cup, a trio from Ealing Judo Club and one athlete from Bishops Stortford.

Peter Davies (Ealing JC) will compete in the -73kg category. This marks his fourth international event of the year as he continues his pursuit of a first medal in 2025.

His clubmate, Corey O’Neal Narcis (Ealing JC), will enter the -81kg division, also looking to claim his first international podium finish of the year.

Madeleine Birri, the third and final member of the Ealing contingent, will compete in the -57kg category. Birri has shown promising form, most recently finishing seventh at the Poznań Junior European Cup last month.

Rounding out the squad, Nicole Wood (Bishops Stortford) enters the -78kg division in excellent form. She recently claimed a silver medal at the Malaga Junior European Cup and followed it up with a fifth-place finish in Poznań. She’ll be aiming to continue that momentum in Istanbul.

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