IJF World Tour Heads to Austria

The IJF World Tour returns this week as Austria plays host to the first Grand Prix following the recent World Championships.

Linz, historically, has been a hub for world-class judo having hosted pre-World Judo Tour international events for almost three decades, until 2005.

As we near the end of year one Paris Olympic Qualification, time is running out for judoka to improve upon their year one results as we head towards year two qualification.

Thursday 25^th May – 08:00am (BST) Preliminary | 16:00 Final Block

Fresh from the World Championships in Doha, Nekoda Smythe-Davis (Ealing Judo Club; Jo Crowley) and Charlie Young (Ryecroft Judokwai; Paul Young) will both be in action on the opening day.

Smythe-Davis is joined in the -57kg category by Acelya Toprak (Darren Hawney & Fitzroy Davies; Metro Judo Club & Relentless Judo). Toprak enters as 4^th seed whilst Smythe-Davis is seeded 6^th. Toprak will face Giulia Caggiano (ITA) whilst Smythe-Davis faces Ana Agulhas (POR).

Rome European Open champion, Young, is joined in the -66kg category by Perth Oceania Open bronze medallist, Michael Fryer (Laurie Rush; Rush Judo).

Young has an opening round contest against Mykyta Holoborodko (UKR) whilst Fryer has an opening round bye and will face either Kimran Borchashvili (AUT) or Serdar Rahimov (TKM).

Warsaw European Open bronze medallist Amy Platten (Guy Platten; Redbridge JC) competes in the -48kg category whilst in the -60kg category Sofia European Open bronze medallist Josh Giles (Simon Moss; Coventry JC) is in action alongside Dylan Munro (Billy Cusack; Edinburgh Judo).

Platten will face Shira Rishony (ISR) in the opening round whilst Giles will face Diego Ismael (BRA) and Munro, Ahmad Yusifov (AZE).

Friday 26^th May – 09:00am (BST) Preliminary | 16:00 Final Block

Three more World Championship representatives will be in action on day two as Gemma Howell (Wolverhampton JC; Bill Kelly), Kelly Petersen-Pollard (Hardy Spicer; Fitzroy Davies) and Lachlan Moorhead (Sheffield JC; Matt Moorhead) take to the tatami.

European Champion, Howell is seeded 6^th in the -63kg category whilst Petersen-Pollard is seeded 2^nd in the -70kg category.

Howell will face Agatha Schmidt (GER) in the opening round whilst Petersen-Pollard has an opening round bye before facing either Joana Crisostomo (POR) or Irene Pedrotti (ITA) in Round Two.

In the -81kg category, Moorhead, who is seeded 4^th, is joined by 2022 Winterthur European Cup bronze medallist Scott Cusack (Billy Cusack; Edinburgh Judo).

Moorhead has an opening round bye and will face either Mohammed Koc (TUR) or Kenny-Komi Bedel (ITA) in Round 2. Cusack has an opening round contest against Alfonso Urquiza-Solana (ESP)

In the -73kg category Eric Ham (Glossop JC; Geoff Ham) is joined by Daniel Pacitti (Billy Cusack; Edinburgh Judo) who makes his World Tour debut.

Ham will face Aden-Alexandre Houssein (DJI) whilst Pacitti faces Samuel Gassner (AUT) in the opening round.

Saturday 27^th May – 09:00am (BST) Preliminary | 16:00 Final Block

The final day of competition sees Emma Reid (Redbridge JC; Steve Sandy) joined by fellow World Championship representatives Jamal Petgrave (Westcroft Judo Club; Andy Ede) and Harry Lovell-Hewitt (Stroud JC; Richard Neale).

Reid enters as and 5^th seed in the -78kg category and will face either Linda Politi (ITA) or Yuliia Kurchenko (UKR) in Round Two following an opening round bye.

In the -90kg category, Petgrave is joined by Stuart McWatt (Garioch Judo; Stuart McWatt Snr) who makes his return to the tatami following injury.

Both Petgrave and McWatt have opening round byes. Petgrave will face either Aslan Papoyan (AUT) or Giovani Ferreira (BRA) in Round Two, whilst McWatt will face Bakar Erashvili (GEO).

Lovell-Hewitt is joined by another fighter who makes his return from injury, fellow Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Rhys Thompson (Enfield JC; George Hyslop) who is seeded 8^th in the -100kg category.

Thompson will face Daniele Accogli (ITA) in the opening round whilst Lovell-Hewitt will face Anton Savytskiy (UKR).

Warsaw European Open bronze medallist, Wesley Greenidge (Enfield JC; George Hyslop) will be in action in the +100kg category and faces Jelle Snippe (NED) in the opening round.

You can watch all the action from the Upper Austria Grand Prix LIVE at judotv.com each day.

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