British Squad Ready for 2026 European Championships Challenge

British Judo’s squad for the 2026 European Championships in Tbilisi will take to the tatami from tomorrow, 16 April, through to Sunday 19 April, as they go head-to-head with Europe’s top judoka.

Thursday 16 April

Charlie Ayre (Tees Valley JC) is set to compete in the -60kg category, earning selection for his first Senior European Championships. The 2026 season has already seen him take silver at the Sofia European Open, adding to the bronze he secured at the Conegliano European Open late in 2025. He also enjoyed a strong year at junior level last season, claiming gold at the Birmingham Junior European Cup and finishing 5th at the Junior European Championships, just outside the medals. This selection offers Ayre a valuable chance to measure himself against Europe’s leading senior athletes. He will open his campaign against Marton Andrasi (HUN) in the round of 32.

Charlie Young (Ryecroft JK) lines up in the -66kg division, aiming to build on an impressive 2025 campaign. He opened the year with silver at the Podgorica Senior European Cup, followed by bronze at the Prague European Open, before recording back-to-back World Tour results with 5th and 7th-place finishes at the Guadalajara and Zagreb Grand Prix. This will mark Young’s fourth appearance at the Senior European Championships, where he will be looking to achieve a personal best result. He begins his challenge against Marko Jorgic (SRB) in the round of 32.

Tatum Keen (Bradley Stoke JC) heads into the -52kg category in strong form, having recently secured her first IJF World Tour medal with silver at the Tbilisi Grand Slam. That result followed a 5th-place finish at the Grand Prix Upper Austria just weeks earlier, highlighting her consistency at the top level. Competing at her second Senior European Championships after debuting in 2025, Keen will be looking to build on previous 5th-place finishes at both the U23 and Junior European Championships earlier in her career. She will face Aleksandra Kaleta (POL) in the round of 32.

Friday 17 April

Ben Levy (Budokwai) will compete in the -73kg division, arriving with growing confidence after claiming a breakthrough bronze medal at the Paris Grand Slam earlier this year, his first podium on the IJF World Tour. That performance came off the back of a 5th-place finish at the Zagreb Grand Prix in November 2025, as he continues to establish himself among the top competitors in his division. Having stepped up to the senior level in 2025, Levy made an immediate impact and earned selection for his first Senior European Championships last year, an experience he will now look to build on. He is set to take on Nikolaos Gkinis (GRE) in the round of 32.

Ethan Nairne (Bradley Stoke JC) joins him in the -73kg category and will be making his Senior European Championships debut. Having previously represented Great Britain at Cadet, Junior and U23 level, Nairne has enjoyed a standout start to 2026. He claimed silver at the Sofia European Open before producing 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 podium. Now emerging as a serious contender, he will be aiming to make an impact on his debut. Nairne opens against Joshua Green (IRL) in the round of 32.

Acelya Toprak (Camberley JC) will compete in the -57kg division, marking her second appearance at the Senior European Championships following her debut in 2022. She comes into the event off the back of a 5th-place finish at the Tbilisi Grand Slam, her best result of the year so far. Throughout 2025, Toprak produced a series of strong performances, including bronze at the Guadalajara Grand Prix, 5th-place finishes at both the Tallinn and Zagreb Grand Prix, and 7th place at the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam, alongside silver at the Tallinn European Open. Earlier in her career, she claimed silver at the Junior European Championships and has consistently placed within the top seven across Cadet, Junior and U23 European events. With that experience, she will be aiming to challenge for a top result. She will begin her campaign against Irina Zueva (RUS) in the round of 32.

Saturday 18 April

Kelly Petersen-Pollard (Hardy Spicer 83) will compete in the -70kg category at her fourth Senior European Championships. Her best result at the event to date is a 7th-place finish in 2022. A former Junior World Champion, having taken gold in Finland in 2019, she brings extensive experience from both age-group and senior competition, including multiple World Tour medals. After finishing 7th at the Grand Prix Upper Austria earlier this month, she will be targeting a strong performance in Tbilisi. Her opening opponent in the round of 32 is yet to be confirmed.

Sunday 19 April

Ollie Barratt (Dragons Academy) will represent Great Britain in the -100kg division at his third Senior European Championships. He has previously competed across U23, Junior and Cadet levels, with his standout result coming in 2023 when he claimed silver at the U23 European Championships. In 2025, he recorded his best World Tour result with a 5th-place finish at the Dushanbe Grand Slam, while also taking gold at the Gold Coast Oceania Open, bronze at the Warsaw European Open, and 7th place at the Tallinn European Open. Having already competed at three World Tour events in 2026, Barratt will be looking to build momentum and deliver his strongest result of the year. He faces a tough opening contest against Ilia Sulamanidze (GEO) in the round of 32.

Emma Reid (Redbridge JC) will contest the -78kg category following a narrow 5th-place finish at the Tbilisi Grand Slam, where she just missed out on the podium. An Olympian and 2024 World Championships bronze medallist, Reid has consistently performed at the highest level and also finished 5th at this event last year. Currently ranked world number five, she will be aiming to secure her first European Championships medal. Reid will enter the competition in the round of 16, where she faces Anna Kazakova (UKR).

Shelley Ludford (JC Osaka) completes the squad in the -78kg division, where she will make her Senior European Championships debut. She has previously represented Great Britain at both Junior and U23 European Championships and is a former Junior World Championships bronze medallist. Ludford heads into the competition in confident form after claiming gold at the Ljubljana European Open earlier this year. She begins her campaign against Milica Zabic (SRB) in the round of 32.

Good luck to the whole squad this week – you’ve got this!

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