Senior Squad Selected for European Judo Championships in Podgorica

The squad for the European Judo Championships Senior Podgorica 2025 has been announced, with eight British judoka ready to compete against Europe’s best.

Michael Fryer (Rush Judo) and Charlie Young (Ryecroft Judokwai) will both compete in the -66 kg category at the Senior European Championships. This will be the first Senior European Championships of Fryer’s career. Young, meanwhile, comes into the event riding high after securing silver at last month’s Podgorica Senior European Cup. This will be his third Senior European Championships appearance at just 23 years old, a remarkable achievement.

Ben Levy (Budokwai) will be the only British competitor in the -73kg category. The young judoka has had a phenomenal start to the year, winning gold at the Warsaw European Open, his only competition so far in 2025. He now looks to carry that momentum onto the European Championships stage.

The -100kg division will feature two strong British contenders: Rhys Thompson (Enfield/Team Bath) and Oliver Barratt (Dragons Academy). Thompson, currently the highest-ranked British male judoka at 34th in the world in his category, had an outstanding 2024 season, securing multiple international podium finishes, including a silver medal at the Zagreb Grand Prix. Barratt also impressed last year and has carried that form into 2025, already claiming bronze at the Warsaw European Open. Max Gregory (Drake Judo Club) will also travel with the team as a reserve in this weight category.

In the -52kg category, Tatum Keen (Bradley Stoke) is set to make her Senior European Championships debut. She heads into the event in outstanding form, having already secured silver at the Warsaw European Open earlier this year.

Kelly Petersen-Pollard (Hardy Spicer 83) will compete in the -70kg division, eager to build on her recent success. With valuable experience from her time on the European Championship stage as a former Junior European Championship gold medallist, she is looking to make an impact in the senior competition. After claiming bronze at the Warsaw European Open in February, she followed up with a 7th-place finish at the Tbilisi Grand Slam and will be aiming for an even stronger performance in Podgorica.

Rounding out the squad is Emma Reid (Redbridge) in the -78kg category. As an Olympian, Reid has been one of Britain’s standout judokas in recent years and will be looking to leverage the experience gained from competing at the highest level. She is the highest-ranked British athlete, sitting 8th in the world in her category. She took silver at the Grand Prix Upper Austria last month, and with a World Championship bronze medal from Abu Dhabi in 2024, she enters this competition as a serious contender.

There will also be another British representative in Montenegro, as Lisa Rivers (Kin Ryu JC) has been selected to referee at the Senior European Championships.

The event will be held from the 23rd to the 26th of April.

We wish all those selected the best of luck!

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