Warwick Judo: Strong showing in Sheffield

On Friday evening competitors from Warwick University Judo Club set off for Sheffield and the biggest event in university judo. Britain’s strongest university clubs gathered for two days of individual and team competition in advanced (dan grade) and intermediate (kyu grade) categories to determine the strongest university club in the country.

Warwick entered fourteen players into the intermediate competition, all but two of whom started judo with the beginner’s course at Warwick Judo over the last few years. Seven were entered into the advanced competition. The U73kg intermediate category included five Warwick students with a mixture of experience. Three Warwick fighters went through their groups to the knock-out stage of the competition, in which Will Hann in particular continued to demonstrate strong, tactical judo to win as his team-mates were defeated in their bouts.

Gruelling: A Warwick Judoka in action at the recent BUCS tournament. Photo: Charles MacDonald

The final saw Will pitted against a wiry player from Manchester University with strong ground-work. After four minutes and several close escapes, Will’s fitness and tact saw him through to a well-earned Gold medal as he beat the runner-up on penalty points. Sudeep Gurung fought in a round robin in the smaller U60kg category, where, despite losing what is surely the most gruelling nine-minute judo match BUCS has seen in some time, he won a bronze medal.

Warwick entered fourteen players into the intermediate competition, all but two of whom started judo with the club’s beginners course over the last few years.

The advanced competition included international players from various national squads, including the UK, Croatia, Latvia and Ghana, to name but a few. Four of Warwick’s advanced men went through their group stage to lose in the knock-out stages. Thomas Grandjean, 3rd dan, coach, and Warwick student, came top in his pool only to get stopped by the national youth champion and eventual winner in the first knock-out round.

Will Hann on the podium for Warwick. Photo: Charles MacDonald

Sophie Cox was meanwhile working her way to another bronze for Warwick in the women’s U57kg category, to add a third medal to the Warwick roster. The team competition took place on Sunday, and included Warwick teams in both the men and women’s categories, although they unfortunately lost out as Heriot Watt and local rivals Birmingham respectively took golds.

Overall, it was a great weekend for the club, with the highs of our medallists, and fantastic judo against some of the best young judoka in the country. In Judo the losses always come with lessons, and both the highs and lows of this year’s competition will no doubt prove beneficial for each of our judoka’s in the training to come.

Warwick Judo and Boar Sport: You can read about Neil Adams visiting the club here, about the club’s competitive success at home here, and about the success of the beginner’s Judo course here.