2024 Las Vegas Veterans World Championship Preview

The 2024 Las Vegas Veterans World Championship is here! This event brings together top veteran judo athletes from around the world. Here’s everything you need to know about those representing British Judo this week:

Day 1 M6, M7, M8 & M9 – Monday 4th November
On Monday 4th November the M6, M7, M8 and M9 players are in action. Great Britain have 8 players competing in these categories.

In the M6 -90kg Winston Ginsberg (The Budokwai) and Gavin Archibald (Kin Ryu Judo Club) will be representing GBR. Winston comes off a bronze medal at the British Championships while Gavin is making his third appearance at a Veterans World Championships and hoping to better his best result of 7th.

Joe Williams in the +100kg (Croydon Judo Club) will be hoping to better his European performance coached by clubmate Ashley Parrette who is unfortunately injured and unable to be on the tatami this event. Rounding out the M6 players for Great Britain is Fred Itiose (Tokei Judo Club) in the +100kg, current British Champion.

Edward Orgee (Walderslade Judo Club/Senshuken Judo Academy) is the only M7 player entered for GBR, and having won silver in the 2024 Commonwealth Tournament in Malta, is looking for a good result in the -66kg category.

The M8 category has three British entries: no stranger to European and World Veterans competitions, having represented Great Britain multiple times is Faouzi Zerrouk who now lives in Vancouver, Canada in the -90kg category.

Faouzi is joined by David McGuire (Genki Judo Club) in the -100kg who won bronze in the European Veterans Championships in Sarajevo in June 2024 and Mark McCallum (Croydon Judo Club) in the +100kg category who hopes to round out a successful year with a Commonwealth silver and British Championship gold.

Mark will also be coached by his clubmate Ashley and has been at Croydon Judo Club since the age of 8, he’s now 66 but showing no signs of quitting!

Day 2 M1, M3 – Tuesday 5th November
Tuesday 5th November is the turn of the youngest male category for those 30-34 years old.
Adam Stevens -81kg (Goole Judo Club/Gibraltar Judo Club/C.D Club Gieko) came back to judo this year and coming off a 5th place in the European Championships and then took golds in the Austrian and Czechia Masters Opens, he is hoping to step onto the podium in Las Vegas.

Two British players in the -73kg Joe McCole (Tayside/Kano Judo Schools, Western Australia) who won the Australian Masters and two time British Champion James Lews (Rainham Judo Club/Medway Park) will also be in action in the M1 category.

In the M3 category, Calvin Walker-Hall (Hackney Judo Club) will be looking to better his European Bronze Medal from June which he followed up with EJU VI Championship gold and British Championship Gold.

Chris Horton -100kg has also had an impressive 2024 including taking Commonwealth silver, European Veterans Cup Hamburg Bronze and last week Irish Masters Open gold!

Rounding out the M3 category is Ben Lockwood (Kaizen Judo Club, Canada) who now lives in Canada and has taken medals in International Opens this year.

Day 3 M4, M5 – Wednesday 6th November
On Wednesday a team of 5 players take to the mat. Returning to competition following winning British Veteran Championship gold in 2023 and hoping to add to a world silver and European gold, James Hornsby (Ryecroft Judo Club) will compete in the M4 -81kg. Three times British Champion Simon

Twigg (Camberley Judo Club) joins him in the -81kg looking to better his 5th in the Abu Dhabi World Veterans Championships in 2023.

Craig Robbins (Leicester Judo Academy), current British Veterans Champion is in action in the -90kg.

In the -90kg M5 category we have two players- Shaun Mitty (Westcliff Judo Club), having recovered from the injury which forced his withdrawl from the European Veterans Championships in June, he is looking to better his World Silver from 2015. He’s joined by two times British Champion Ant Sayers (Cedars Judo Club).

Day 4 M2, F1-9 – Thursday 7th November
The final day of competition sees the M2 category. Colin Francis (Peterlee Judo Club/Royal Marines) is aiming to better his previous 3 World and 5 European medals and follows on from a silver at the 2024 Europeans, he fights in the -60kgs.

Another multiple international veterans medallist, Mark Adams (Flo Judo Club) competes in the +100kg category. The three times British Champion has World and European Bronze medals and a Commonwealth silver to his name, and hopes to add to that.

Jeevan Matharu (Leicester Judo Academy/Sakura) is making his international debut in the -73kg following good results on the senior domestic circuit including placing at the English Open and Closed.

The womens categories are in action on Thursday. In the F1 -63kg category Caroline Brayson (Hackney Judo Club/Pudsey Judo Club) is hoping to add to her 2023 World Bronze Medal. Caroline Rawlings (Senshuken Judo Academy/Walderslade Judo Club) has won gold in the Commonwealth Masters and Ne-Waza Masters in 2024 and competes in the F3 -57kg category.

Fiona Chan (Osaka/Camberley) has had an extremely successful last 12 months becoming British and European Veterans Champion as well as taking a silver medal at the 2023 Senior British Championships. She is competing in F5 -57kgs. Kay Andrews (Matsumachi Judo Club) competes in the F8 -63kgs, a multiple European and World medallists she is hoping to be on the podium again in Las Vegas.

You can follow the action online at JudoTV.com

List of players per day:

Day 1 M6, M&, M8, M9 – Monday 4th November

Winston Ginsberg M6 -90kg
Gavin Archibald M6 -90kg
Joe Williams M6 +100kg
Fred Itiose M6 +100kg

Eddie Orgee M7 -66kg

Faouzi Zerrouk M8 -90kg
David McGuire M8 -100kg
Mark McCallum M8 +100kg

Day 2 M1, M3 – Tuesday 5th November

Joe McCole M1 -73kg
James Lewis M1 -73kg
Adam Stevens M1 -81kg

Calvin Walker-Hall M3 -73kg
Ben Lockwood M3 -81kg
Chris Horton M3 -100kg

Day 3 M4, M5 – Wednesday 6th November

James Hornsby M4 -81kg
Simon Twigg M4 -81kg
Craig Robbins M4 -90kg

Shaun Mitty M5 -90kg
Ant Sayers M5 -90kg

Day 4 M2, F1-9 – Thursday 7th November

Caroline Brayson F1 -63kg
Caroline Rawlings F3 -57kg
Fiona Chan F5 -52kg
Kay Andrews F8 -63kg

Colin Francis M2 -60kg
Jeevan Matharu M2 -73kg
Mark Adams M2 +100kg

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