British Judoka Set for Triple-Event Weekend in Latvia and Germany

An incredibly busy weekend of judo lies ahead, with large British squads set to compete across three events: the Riga Senior European Cup, the International Thuringia Cup, and the International Masters Bremen.

Riga Senior European Cup

A strong squad of 30 British judoka will travel to Latvia to represent Great Britain at the Riga Senior European Cup.

In the -60kg category, Nordine Adrif (Garioch Judo) and Laurence Hill (Dragons Academy) will take to the tatami.

James Gray (Destination Judo) and Neil MacDonald (Judo Scotland), who will be looking to build on his bronze medal at the Casablanca African Open earlier this year, will compete in the -66kg division.

A five-strong line-up features in the -73kg category. Finlay Allan (Camberley JC), a former gold medallist at this event in 2024, is joined by Tommy Jackson (East Yorkshire JA), Harry Le Mare (Camberley JC), Kieran McCann (Team Bath), and Ben Moore (Bradley Stoke JC), who continues his pursuit of a Welsh place at the Commonwealth Games.

At -81kg, Benjamin Fox Kennedy (Sportif) and Rory Tyrrell (Camberley JC), who claimed a strong seventh-place finish at the Warsaw European Open last week, will represent Great Britain.

The -90kg division includes Scott Cusack (Edinburgh Judo), Cameron Hickey (Camberley JC), Samuel Petgrave (Westcroft JC), and Cameron Reid-Thomas (Sportif).

Niccolo Bargioni (Edinburgh University JC) and Jaden Calder (JC Esprit) will compete at -100kg.

In the +100kg category, Adam Hall (Team Bath), Gregor Miller (Tayside JC), William Price (Higham & Rushden JC), and James Weller-Henry (Budokwai) complete the men’s squad.

Courtney Saunders (Camberley JC) will be Britain’s sole representative at -52kg, competing in her first European Cup since April 2024.

In the -63kg division, Sunny Doig (Just Judo Yoshin), Tomi Imrie (Jidel Judo 93), a silver medallist at this event in 2025, Roxanne Proctor (Team Bath), and Sophie Wood (Sportif), who most recently claimed gold at the Casablanca African Open in January, will all be in action.

Rachael Hawkes (Camberley JC) continues her busy competition schedule following a fifth-place finish at the Podgorica Senior European Cup two weeks ago, and will compete alongside Anika Rabi (Team Bath) in the -70kg category.

Rounding out the squad, Anya Hassan (Blyth Juno Michi) and Nicole Wood (Bishops Stortford JK), who finished fifth at the Sarajevo Junior European Cup last month and will be looking to make an impact at senior level, will also be in action.

Daniel Harris and Mark Waterhouse will represent Great Britain as referees at the event.

International Thuringia Cup

English and Scottish female squads will travel to Germany for the International Thuringia Cup, with 29 British athletes competing across Cadet and Junior categories.

Among the cadets, Katrina Davis (Sakura JC) and Tamilla Abdullaeva (Redbridge JC) will compete at -44kg, while Betsy Doe (Pro Judo) and Alexis Buchanan (Sportif) take on the -48kg field.

At -52kg, Lucy Daly (Highland Budokan), Maisie Broadley (Wirral JC), and Hannah King (Bishops Stortford JK) will be in action.

A strong group contests the -57kg category, including Stella Cameron (Whitburn JC), Evie Mitchell (The Parks JC), Taylor Chrisp (Blyth Juno Michi), Elizabeth Merredew (Bishops Stortford JK), and Maisie Shattock (Bacup JC).

In the -63kg division, Kayla Smith (Pro Judo), Valentina Lawlor (Sportif), Emme Simpson (Blyth Juno Michi), and Aleksandra Dudko (Ealing JC) will compete, while Zoe Galbraith (Garioch JC), Abigail Sisson (Bishops Stortford JK), and Robyn Davies (Ealing JC) complete the cadet line-up in the -70kg category.

In the junior section, Eva Ewing (Edinburgh Judo), Olivia Barfoot-Saunt (Kin Ryu JC), and Daisy Hodgkinson (Team Bath) will compete at -48kg.

The -52kg category features Harriet Jones (Pro Judo), Rachael Gray (Destination Judo), Lola Hodson (Dragons Academy), Lucy Robinson (Kin Ryu JC), and Amelia Alder (JC Osaka).

Zaffira Edwards (Edinburgh Judo) will be Britain’s sole competitor at -63kg, while Alexandra Simpson (Blyth Juno Michi) rounds out the squad in the -78kg division.

International Masters Bremen

A large contingent of English and Scottish male athletes will also travel to Germany for the International Masters Bremen, with 48 British judoka set to compete.

In the -50kg division, Finlay Whitelaw (Pro Judo), Louie Seguin (Tonbridge JC), and Barnaby Peel (Blyth Juno Michi) will represent Great Britain.

The -55kg category sees a packed British entry, including Lewis Wegmann (Pro Judo), Luke Hunter (Jidel Judo 93), James Simpson (Pro Judo), Elliot Marie (Budokwai), Reece Blackshaw (Penistone JC), Elliot Wilkinson (Huddersfield JC), Lewis Rhodes (Wirral JC), Ishmael Brown (Hardy Spicer 83), and Jamie Leroux (Rush Judo).

Another busy category is -60kg, featuring Joseph Buchanan, Coen Gilbert, and Jacob Foster (all Sportif), Archie McLenan (Garioch JC), Michael Richardson and Evan Anderson (Blyth Juno Michi), Pawel Petrosyan (Sakura JC), Chayse Franklin (Micklefield JC), Sidney Bartlett (Medway Park JC), and David Gheorghiu (Nippon JC).

At -66kg, Steven Rabet and Josh Sweeten (Sportif), Jenson Jones and Zachary Robbins (Leicester JA), Harrison Wood (The Parks JC), Ciprian Cirstea (Kangei JC), Jack Milligan (Wirral JC), Jacob Shattock (Bacup JC), Benjamin Nunn (Bishops Stortford JK), and Alfie Mitchell (Rush Judo) will compete.

The -73kg division includes Eden Heffernan (Pro Judo), Jose Castelli and Jack MacLeod (Garioch JC), Sean McAleese (Sportif), Alexey Pavluhin (Palavani), Finley Waugh (Wirral JC), Keanu Bracher (Bradley Stoke JC), and Joshua Chrisp (Blyth Juno Michi).

At -81kg, Euan Shannon and Vasiliy Menshykov (Garioch JC), Harrison Elliott (High Wycombe JC), and Peter Davies (Ealing JC) will take to the tatami.

In the -90kg category, Arad Ghafoori Rad (Pro Judo) and Mert Salim (Toshi Kazoku JK) will represent Great Britain.

Kevin Gordon (Hibari Kan JC) and George Riley (Team Bath) complete the squad in the -100kg division.

Good luck to everyone competing this weekend!

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