Sarah Adlington Calls Time on Illustrious Judo Career
August 03, 2026
Two-time Commonwealth Games champion and Tokyo Olympian Sarah Adlington has announced her retirement from competitive judo, bringing the curtain down on an outstanding career spanning more than two decades at the highest level of the sport.
The Scottish heavyweight stepped onto the tatami for the final time at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games, returning to the city where she had enjoyed one of the defining moments of her career 12 years earlier.
Adlington entered her third Commonwealth Games hoping to complete a historic hat-trick of +78kg titles, having previously topped the podium at Glasgow 2014 and Birmingham 2022.
Her bid for a third gold came to an end in the opening round against Mauritius’ Marie Loanne Durhone, bringing an emotional conclusion to her final competitive appearance.
Speaking after stepping off the tatami for the final time, an emotional Adlington reflected on the fine margins that ultimately decided her final contest.
“I’d worked so hard to be the best I could be and the margins are so small,” she said.
While Glasgow 2026 did not provide the fairytale ending she had hoped for, Adlington leaves the tatami as one of the most successful Scottish judoka of all time and with a legacy that extends far beyond her results.
Adlington’s name is firmly etched into Scottish sporting history thanks to her achievements at the Commonwealth Games.
Competing on home soil at Glasgow 2014, she claimed +78kg gold as part of a remarkable Scottish judo team that won 13 medals from 14 athletes.
Eight years later, with judo absent from the Gold Coast 2018 programme, Adlington returned to successfully defend her title at Birmingham 2022, becoming the first Scottish judoka to win two Commonwealth Games gold medals.
Her remarkable Commonwealth Games journey then came full circle at Glasgow 2026.
Ahead of competition, Adlington was handed one of the greatest honours of her career when she was selected alongside lawn bowls legend Alex Marshall MBE to lead Team Scotland into the Opening Ceremony, carrying Scotland’s King’s Baton and the Saltire into The Hydro in front of a home crowd.
Speaking ahead of the Games, Adlington described representing Scotland at another home Games as a privilege she would cherish for the rest of her life.
It was a fitting recognition for an athlete who has represented Scotland with distinction throughout her career.
Representing Great Britain in the +78kg category, she competed extensively on the international circuit and accumulated medals at Grand Prix, Grand Slam, Continental Open and World Cup level.
In 2021, she fulfilled a lifelong ambition when she represented Team GB at the Tokyo Olympic Games, adding the title of Olympian to an already distinguished career.
Although the final result was not the ending she had envisaged, Adlington was able to reflect on a career which had already delivered more than she could have imagined.
“I’ve had a great career and I’ve achieved more than I ever thought I would,” she said following her final contest.
From winning Commonwealth gold in front of a home crowd at Glasgow 2014 to returning to the city 12 years later for her final competition, Sarah’s remarkable career has fittingly come full circle.
Everyone at British Judo would like to congratulate Sarah on an outstanding competitive career, thank her for her contribution to British judo and wish her every success in the next chapter.
