GB JUDO Preview: 2017 World Judo Championships

An 11 strong GB Judo team will take to the mat in the individual competition in Budapest at the 2017 World Judo Championships. Competition will start at 1000 Local time (0900 UK time) on each day of the individual competition and the final block starting at 1600 local (1500 UK time) during the individual competition.

Watch all the judo live via live.ijf.org and follow @BritishJudo for live updates throughout the week

DAY ONE Monday 28 August

Ashley McKenzie (Camberley Judo Club) will be the first GB judoka in action at the 2017 World Judo Championships in Budapest in the -60kg category.

The two-time Olympian took some time off after the Rio Olympics, where he went out in the round of 16 to 2015 World Champion Yeldos Smetov (KAZ). McKenzie has enjoyed a solid 2017 which has seen him move up to his current ranking of 20 in the world.

A fifth place at the Dusseldorf Grand Prix was followed by a seventh at the European Championships in Warsaw, his best performance at a major championship since 2013. A trip to Cancun saw him pick up his first Grand Prix medal since 2014 as he beat Adonis Diaz (USA) for bronze.

The -60kg category is full of world-class judoka including three of the medallists from last year’s Games: Smetov, Naohisa Takato (JPN) and Diyorbek Urozboev (UZB). Such is the strength of the field that only Takato is seeded out of that trio. 2014 World Champion Boldbaatar Ganbat (MGL) is another one of the unseeded athletes while fellow Mongolian Amartuvshin Dashdavaa is seeded in the top eight.

Current European champion Robert Mshvidobadze (RUS) is another to keep an eye out for as well Spanish young gun Francisco Garrigos and Japan’s Ryuju Nagayama.

McKenzie will be up against Ryuju Nagayama (JPN) in his first content.

DAY TWO Tuesday 29 August

The second day of competition will see Wrekin’ Star judoka Kelly Edwards take to the mat at -52kg. The Telford judoka enjoyed a strong end to 2016 including first Grand Slam and Grand Slam medals at Abu Dhabi and Zagreb.

A few injuries have made 2017 a stop-start year for Edwards but a good performance at the Saarbruecken European Cup last month will give her confidence going into Budapest while a win over Amandine Buchard (FRA) at the European Championships earlier this year shows she can beat the top players in the world.

Kosovo’s Majlinda Kelmendi is undoubtedly the star name with her last defeat coming in 2015 to Erika Miranda (BRA) at the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam. The Olympic champion will be aiming for her third World title.

Among the challengers, the likes of Miranda, Natalia Kuziutina (RUS), Distria Krasniqi (KOS) and Odette Giuffrida (ITA) will be looking to make their way to the medal rostrum.

Edwards will be up against Joana Ramos (POR) in her first content with a potential round of 16  contest against Amandine Buchard (FRA) down the line.

DAY THREE Wednesday 30 August

-57kg duo Nekoda Davis and Bekky Livesey will be looking to make an impact the Worlds in another strong field. Davis (Ealing Judo Club) made her Olympic Games debut in Rio last year losing a close contest by yuko in the round of 16 to Automne Pavia (FRA).

Post-Games, Davis took time out to have an operation on her wrist before making her comeback fighting at -63kg in the Tbilisi Grand Prix. There she finished fifth but picked up a thumb injury which led to another round of surgery. However, with a good block of training behind her she is raring to go at the World Championships.

Livesey is another who has had an injury hit twelve months. The SKK judoka won her first Grand Prix medal in Zagreb last year but picked up a knee injury on the day which led to time off the mat. However, she came back well and in her second competition she won bronze at the Antalya Grand Prix.

Three of the Rio Olympic medallists are currently entered into the World Championships including champion Rafaela Silva. World No.1 Sumiya Dorjsuren (MGL) will be looking to win her first global title while Japan’s Yoshida Tsukasa will be aiming to carry on Kaori Matsumoto’s mantle at -57kgs.

Young Canadian Jessica Klimkait has impressed this year and Priscilla Gneto (FRA) has enjoyed a strong transition up to 57s including winning the European title in Warsaw.

Davis will be up against Irinia Zabludina (RUS) or Kseniia Beldiagina (KGZ) while Livesey takes on Sevara Nishanbayeva (KAZ).

DAY FOUR Thursday 31 August

Alice Schlesinger and Amy Livesey (SKK Judo Club) will be next up on the fourth day of competition in Budapest with the SKK judoka joining her younger sister in making her World Championships debut.

Schlesinger fought in her third Olympic Games last summer (her first for GB) where she went out in the round of 16 to Anicka Van Emden (NED). After missing the Paris Grand Slam and Dusseldorf Grand Prix due to illness and injury Schlesinger came back with a bang as she won the Baku Grand Slam for the second year running.

She followed that up with bronze at the European Championships in Warsaw and goes into the World Championships ranked fifth in the world, which is also her seeding for the competition.

Livesey is also seeded in Budapest (eighth) having performed consistently this year. An elbow injury last summer meant that she missed out on the end of the year Grand Prix and Grand Slams. After a slow start to 2017, she started to hit her stride with a bronze medal in Russia at the Ekaterinburg Grand Slam followed by a silver medal at the Cancun Grand Prix.

World No.1 Tina Trstenjak (SLO) has been in terrific form this year as she took home gold at the Paris Grand Slam and European Championships. French duo Clarisse Agbegnenou and Margaux Pinot will be looking to stop her as will Tokyo Grand Slam champion Katrin Unterwurzacher (AUT).

Schlesinger and Livesey both have byes into the second round and will face the winners of Junxia Yang (CHN)/Maylin Del Toro Carvajal (CUB) and Dilbar Umiraliyeva (KAZ)/Karolina Talach (POL) respectively.

DAY FIVE Friday 1 September

Day five is going to be a busy one for GB Judo with four judoka in action. Rio bronze medallist Sally Conway (Edinburgh Judo Club) will be leading the way joined by Gemma Howell (Wolverhampton Judo Club), Natalie Powell (Irfon Judo Club) and Max Stewart (Stewart Judo Academy).

Conway made her return to competition judo in June this year, picking up silver medals at the Cancun Grand Prix and Bucharest European Open. In Cancun, Conway beat current World No.1 Elvismar Rodriguez (VEN) and was looking in good form.

Having picked up a number of injuries during the Rio cycle, Howell has successfully transitioned up from -63kg, medalling at every event she’s entered at -70kg including bronze medals at the Antalya and Cancun Grand Prix.

She’s shown she can hold her own against the best in the world with wins over Szabina Gercsak (HUN) and Gulnoza Matniyazova (UZB) as well as strong performances against Kelita Zupancic (CAN) and Barbara Matic (CRO).

With many of the big names from the -70kg category taking time off after the Games this has given the opportunity for some of the young guns to push up the rankings. Chizuru Arai (JPN), Matic, Sanne Van Dijke (NED) and Marie Eve Gahie (FRA) have all shown their quality this year and go in among the top seeds.

However, the likes of Linda Bolder (ISR), Kim Polling (NED), Zupancic and Maria Bernabeu (ESP) are currently unseeded and will be looking to upset the rankings.

Conway will take on Elisavet Teltsidou (GRE) and Howell will be up against the winner of Nicole Stout (USA)/Jong Hyang Kim (PRK).

Irfon judoka Natalie Powell (-78kg) is the highest ranked GB player at the World Championships at third in the world. Powell finished seventh at the Rio Games last year, losing in the repechage final to Luise Malzahn (GER).

Powell made her international return at the Paris Grand Slam in February, finishing seventh. Since then she’s gone from strength to strength including a second bronze medal at the European Championships in Warsaw as well as a first Grand Slam silver medal in Ekaterinburg. A silver in Cancun saw her move up to third in the world, her highest world ranking to date.

Netherlands Guusje Steenhuis goes in as top seed with France’s double Olympic medallist Audrey Tcheumeo (FRA) looking to regain top spot. Home judoka Abigel Joo-Erdelyi (HUN) will be a tough prospect on home soil with Japanese duo Mami Umeki and Ruika Sato also dangerous.

Powell will have Kaili Zhang (CHN) in her first round contest.

Stewart goes in ranked 18 in the world having also enjoyed a strong move up a weight from -81kg last year. Grand Prix medals in Qingdao (gold) and Zagreb (bronze) and a fifth place in Paris Grand Slam saw him move into the top twenty.

The -90kg category is as strong as expected with Serbia’s Aleksandar Kukolj going in as top seed while defending champion Donghan Gwak (KOR) and Krisztian Toth (HUN) will also be dangerous prospects.

Stewart will take on the winner of Rijad Dedeic (BIH) and Shakhzodbek Sabirov (UZB) with a potential last 16 contest against Kukolj.

DAY SIX Saturday 2 September

Bath judoka Ben Fletcher is the last GB judoka in the individual competition and the 25 year old will be hoping to continue his progression in Budapest.

Fletcher made his Olympic Games debut in Rio last year, losing out in the round of 32 to Beka Gviniashvili (GEO). The British judoka has had a solid 2017 with a silver medal at the Cancun Grand Prix as well as bronze medals at the Rome and Minsk European Opens.

Olympic champion Lukas Krpalek (CZE) has moved up to +100kg however the rest of the Rio medal rostrum in Elmar Gasimov (AZE), Cyrille Maret (FRA) and Ryunosoke Haga (JPN) will be taking to the mat in Budapest.

Alongside them, Kirill Denisov (RUS) has proven to be a tough customer having moved up from -90kg as has Varlam Liparteliani (GEO).

Fletcher will take on Brazil’s former World Champion Luciano Correa in the first round.