First wave selections for 2022 European Championships

British Judo are pleased to announce the fighters selected during the first stage selections for the European Championships due to take place in Sofia, Bulgaria from 29^th April – 1^st May.

British Judo has enjoyed great success at the European Championships over the years and will be looking to continue that medal winning success at the first of three major championships to be held in 2022.

Chelsie Giles (-52kg) won bronze at the European Games in 2019, a result which acted as a catalyst as she went on to claim Olympic bronze in Tokyo.

Sam Hall made a winning return to the IJF World Tour in September taking gold at the Zagreb Grand Prix before taking bronze at the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam. The former European Junior Championship silver medallist will compete in the -60kg category.

Lucy Renshall (-63kg), the 2018 European Championship bronze medallist and former European Junior and U23 Champion, enjoyed a fantastic end to 2021 picking up a silver medal at the Paris Grand Slam before topping the podium at the Baku and Abu Dhabi Grand Slam’s. Renshall started her year in Paris where she narrowly missed out on a medal finishing 5^th.

Joining Renshall in the -63kg category is Gemma Howell. Howell, who picked up a bronze medal at the 2018 European Championships in the -70kh category, recently stepped back down to the -63kg category for the Paris Olympic cycle, a decision that recently paid off as she made her first Grand Slam final in Tel Aviv.

2019 European Junior Championship bronze medallist Lachlan Moorhead makes his senior European Championship debut. Moorhead claimed bronze at the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam in November.

Another fighter making their senior European Championship debut is Kelly Petersen-Pollard. The 2019 European Junior Champion has made a seamless transition to the senior ranks and already had three Grand Slam bronze medals to her name.

Petersen-Pollard will be joined in the -70kg category by European U23 Championship silver medallist Jemima Yeats-Brown. Yeats-Brown is another fighter who has stepped down a weight category for the Paris cycle, having previously competed at -78kg.

Natalie Powell and Emma Reid compete in the -78kg category. Powell, who last competed at the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam in November, taking bronze, has three European bronze medals to her name.

Reid has rocked up the world rankings following the return to international competition. Reid medalled in eight of her nine competitions in 2021 including taking gold at the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam. Two 5^th place finishes in 2022 at the Portugal Grand Prix and Paris Grand Slam now see Reid sit 15^th in the world rankings.

Following the first wave team selection, British Judo Performance Director Nigel Donohue said: “We are pleased to have selected nine fighters at the first stage selection for the 2022 Senior European Championships in what is the first of two major championships for our GB Judo senior team in 2022.

“Given that we have a number of fighters currently in strong positions in the world rankings that have a proven pedigree at this level, the European Championships is another opportunity to win a major championship medal as we prepare for the start of Paris Olympic Games qualification period which starts in June and the World Championships in October. I am expecting that, post Antalya Grand Slam in April, we will be in a position to select a number of additional fighters at the second stage selection across the Men and Women’s team, where we will be sending a strong Team to these Championships.”

The GB Judo team will be finalised during the final selection meeting that will take place on week commencing 4^th April.

Stage One European Championship Team Selections: