GB Judo Preview: 2017 Zagreb Grand Prix

Zagreb is the latest stop of a frantic Autumn period for the GB Judo squad as 12 athletes take to the mat in Croatia in the hunt for medals in this weekends Grand Prix.

With a mixture of youth and experience in the squad, it promises to be an action packed three days of competition for the squad as they look to continue the momentum of recent weeks which has seen medals won at major competitions.

Day One (Friday 29th) will see World Bronze medalist Nekoda Smythe-Davis return to action in the -57kg category. It has been an injury-hit year for Smythe-Davis and a fifth place in Tbilisi back in March preceded her remarkable comeback that resulted in her bronze medal triumph in Budapest. She will be seeded second for the event with European Silver medalist and Dusseldorf Grand Prix Champion Theresa Stoll (GER) seeded No.1.

Ashley McKenzie (-60kg) has been consistent throughout 2017, placing in three of his last four events. McKenzie will be looking to improve on a disappointing 1st round exit at the hands of Japan’s Ryuju Nagayama at last month’s World Championships. McKenzie is the current World No.24 which sees him seeded sixth in a competitive -60kg category with the World No.3 Amiran Papinashvili from Georgia the top seeded judoka.

Sam Hall (-60kg) makes up the rest of the GB contingent on day one as he looks to end the year on a high. Hall won his first senior medal at the Belgrade European Open last weekend with an impressive bronze medal.

Day two (Saturday 30th) is a busy day with another five judoka competing. It is the turn of the middleweights as the hunt for medals continues.

Lucy Renshall (-63kg) made her long awaited comeback last weekend with a silver medal at the Belgrade European Open. She had been out of action since February with a shoulder injury and looked impressive at just her second comeback event following victory in the Heart of England Championships. A strong show on the mat from Renshall would improve her World No.23 ranking further and close the gap on the top ten.

Amy Livesey will join Renshall in the -63kg after a very impressive 2017. Seeded No.1 for the competition, Livesey will be hoping to add to her collection of medals won throughout the year including a first Grand Slam medal won in Ekaterinburg, Russia in May and followed up with a silver medal from Cancun. It has seen Livesey climb to a career high of No.5 in the World Rankings. World No. 13 Andreja Leski will provide stern competition for Livesey and Renshall as the Slovenian looks for her first medal since June.

Stuart McWatt (-81kg) impressed on his return to the mat as part of the Mens Team Event at the Junior European Championships as the team claimed an historic bronze medal on the final day of competition. McWatt had not competed on the mat since September 2016 but did not show signs of rustiness as he progressed through the day unbeaten with an excellent array of judo, particularly in newaza. The -81kg category looks to be a tough one with Hungary’s World No.5 Attila Ungvari top seed.

Aaron Turner (-73kg) and Owen Livesey (-81kg) complete the GB lineup on day two as both look to climb the rankings. Livesey has shown form in recently weeks as he won silver at the Bratislava European Cup while Turner will be competing for the first time since July.

Philip Awiti-Alcaraz (-100kg) and Sarah Adlington (+78kg) end the proceedings for GB on Day 3 (Sunday 1st October). Similar to his team mates, Awiti-Alcaraz has had an injury hit 2017 with a sole Grand Prix on his schedule coming at the Cancun Grand Prix, in which he won a bronze medal. Adlington has medalled in her two previous events at the Saarbruecken European Cup (Silver) and the Cancun Grand Prix (Bronze) so will be looking to continue her recent good form in Croatia.

Watch all of the action live on the British Judo Home Page and follow @BritishJudo on Twitter for live updates throughout the weekend. Full draw information can be found at ippon.org