British Squad Announced for 2026 Senior European Championships

British Judo has confirmed the squad that will represent the nation at the 2026 Senior European Championships in Tbilisi from 16–19 April.

Charlie Ayre (Tees Valley JC) will compete in the -60kg category, selected to fight at the Senior European Championships for the first time in his career. In 2026, he has already claimed silver at the Sofia European Open, having previously taken bronze at the Conegliano European Open towards the end of 2025. Last year also saw him secure strong results at the junior level, including gold at the Birmingham Junior European Cup and a 5th-place finish at the Junior European Championships, narrowly missing out on a medal. This presents an excellent opportunity for Ayre to test himself against Europe’s best in the senior division.

Charlie Young (Ryecroft JK) will take on the -66kg field, looking to build on his success in 2025. He began the year with a silver medal at the Podgorica Senior European Cup, followed by bronze at the Prague European Open, and rounded off the year with back-to-back World Tour placings, finishing 5th and 7th at the Guadalajara and Zagreb Grand Prix. This will be Young’s fourth appearance at the Senior European Championships, as he targets his best result to date.

Ben Levy (Budokwai) will fight in the -73kg division, arriving in strong form following a breakthrough bronze medal at the Paris Grand Slam, his first podium finish on the IJF World Tour earlier this year. That result came after a 5th-place finish at the Zagreb Grand Prix in November 2025, as Levy continues to establish himself as a serious contender on the World Tour. It has been a big 12 months for the Budokwai judoka, who stepped up to senior level in 2025 and made an immediate impact, earning selection for his first Senior European Championships last year, an experience he will be aiming to build on this time around. Alongside his senior success, Levy also enjoyed a strong year at the junior level in 2025, claiming multiple medals on the Junior European Cup circuit, as well as securing a 5th-place finish at the Junior European Championships and 7th place at the Junior World Championships.

Ethan Nairne (Bradley Stoke JC) will also compete in the -73kg category, selected for the first Senior European Championships appearance of his career, having previously competed at Cadet, Junior and U23 level. Nairne has been in outstanding form so far this year, taking silver at the Sofia European Open before securing the best result of his career with gold at the Grand Prix Upper Austria, defeating three Olympic medallists on his way to his first World Tour medal. Now recognised as a serious threat at the top level, Nairne will be aiming to deliver a strong performance on his debut.

Ollie Barratt (Dragons Academy) will compete in the -100kg division in his third Senior European Championships appearance. He has also represented Great Britain at U23, Junior and Cadet events, with his best result coming at the 2023 U23 European Championships, where he took silver. In 2025, Barratt achieved his best World Tour result with a 5th-place finish at the Dushanbe Grand Slam. He also claimed gold at the Gold Coast Oceania Open, bronze at the Warsaw European Open, and 7th place at the Tallinn European Open. With three World Tour events already under his belt in 2026, he will be looking to continue that momentum and secure his best result of the year.

Tatum Keen (Bradley Stoke JC) enters the -52kg category in excellent form, having secured her first IJF World Tour medal with silver at the Tbilisi Grand Slam last weekend. Just weeks earlier, she recorded a 5th-place finish at the Grand Prix Upper Austria, underlining her strong run of form heading into her second Senior European Championships appearance, following her debut in 2025. Earlier in her career, Keen recorded 5th-place finishes at both the U23 and Junior European Championships, and will now look to build on that success at the senior level.

Acelya Toprak (Camberley JC) will represent Great Britain at -57kg, marking her second appearance at the Senior European Championships, having previously competed in 2022. The Camberley judoka narrowly missed out on the podium last weekend with a 5th-place finish at the Tbilisi Grand Slam, her best result of the year so far. In 2025, she enjoyed a strong run on the World Tour, claiming bronze at the Guadalajara Grand Prix, 5th-place finishes at both the Tallinn and Zagreb Grand Prix, and 7th at the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam, alongside silver at the Tallinn European Open. Earlier in her career, Toprak claimed silver at the Junior European Championships and has also recorded top-seven finishes across U23, Junior and Cadet European Championships. With extensive experience at the top level, Toprak will be aiming to challenge the very best in her division in Tbilisi.

Kelly Petersen-Pollard (Hardy Spicer 83) will compete at -70kg in her fourth Senior European Championships, with her best result to date a 7th-place finish in 2022. Earlier in her career, she competed at both Junior and Cadet European Championships and was crowned Junior World Champion in 2019, taking gold in Finland. With a wealth of experience at the highest level, including several World Tour medals, and a promising 7th-place finish earlier this month at the Grand Prix Upper Austria, she will head to Tbilisi targeting her best result of the year.

Emma Reid (Redbridge JC) will compete in the -78kg category, following a promising 5th-place finish at the Tbilisi Grand Slam last weekend, where she narrowly missed out on a podium position. An Olympian, 2024 World Championships bronze medallist, and multiple-time World Tour medallist, Reid also finished 5th at this event last year. Currently ranked world number five, she will go into this year’s edition aiming to secure her first European Championships medal.

Shelley Ludford (JC Osaka) will also compete in the -78kg division, making her first Senior European Championships appearance. Ludford has previously represented Great Britain at Junior and U23 European Championships and is a former Junior World Championships bronze medallist. She heads into her senior debut with confidence after a strong performance at the Ljubljana European Open earlier this year, where she claimed gold.

*Irakli Goginashvili (Palavani) has been selected as a non-travelling reserve in the -73kg category. Goginashvili enjoyed an outstanding 2025, becoming Junior European Champion, taking bronze at the Junior World Championships, finishing 5th on his IJF World Tour debut at the Lima Grand Prix, and securing multiple Junior European Cup medals, as well as bronze at the Podgorica Senior European Cup. He will be ready to step in if required.

Kate Howey MBE, Performance Director at British Judo, shared her thoughts on the squad:

“It’s exciting to be able to name such a competitive squad for the European Championships in Tbilisi. We’ve developed some really good momentum in recent months, with landmark medal performances from athletes like Ben Levy, Ethan Nairne and Tatum Keen. Those results have created a positive environment across the squad, and the timing of these European Championships feels right for many of our athletes to step forward and perform on the continental stage.

“In truth, it could have been even bigger, but unfortunately the event has come too early for a few of the squad who are currently nursing a few injuries. That said, it also highlights the strength and depth we currently have across the programme.

“There were some very difficult selection decisions. In certain weight categories, we would have liked to include more athletes given the level of competition internally, and it’s never easy leaving out talented judoka such as Irakli Goginashvili. However, that depth is a real positive for us as we continue building towards future success.

“We’re confident, we’re prepared, and we’re ready to take on the very best in Europe.”

Congratulations to the entire team selected to represent Great Britain at the 2026 Senior European Championships!

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