Team Announcement: 2017 Junior World Championships

A seven strong GB Judo team has been selected for the 2017 Junior World Championships in Zagreb, Croatia from 18 – 22 October.

Chelsie Giles (-52kg), Acelya Toprak (-57kg), Lubjana Piovesana (-63kg), Dan Powell (-73kg), Stuart McWatt (-81kg), Jamal Petgrave (-90kg) and Wesley Greenidge (+100kg) will be aiming to end the Junior year on a high.

At the 2017 Junior European Championships in Maribor, Slovenia, GB Judo came away with three medals; silver for Acelya Toprak, bronze for Jamal Petgrave and bronze for the GB Men in the Team event.

Three of the team in Giles, Piovesana and McWatt fought at the last Junior World Championships in Abu Dhabi two years ago. On that occasion Giles and Piovesana finished fifth, losing close fights for bronze.

The rest of the team will be making their debuts at a Junior World Championships but all have shown their ability to perform this season.

Powell finished seventh at the Junior Europeans in Maribor, the second year in a row that he has placed at that competition. Greenidge missed out on a top eight finish in Maribor but has medalled at multiple Junior European Cups this year including a silver in Berlin.

Giles was another to miss out on a placing at the Junior Europeans and she will be aiming to make up for that in Zagreb, the same venue where she made her Grand Prix debut last year.

Piovesana finished fifth in Maribor, the second time she’s finished fifth at Junior Europeans, but with Grand Prix medals to her name this year she knows she can perform against strong opposition.

Toprak and Petgrave backed up their seedings and results from 2017 to medal in Maribor. The -57kg judoka was back in action a week later at the Belgrade European Open where she won gold. Both judoka will go in among the top seeds and they will be looking to put in their best performance on the mat in Zagreb.

McWatt made a successful return after injury to international competition in Maribor winning all four of his contests as the Men’s team won bronze on the final day of the tournament. He will make his Grand Prix debut this weekend in Zagreb, at the same venue that will host the Junior Worlds next month.

Nigel Donohue, British Judo Performance Director, said:

“We’re really excited for the upcoming Junior World Championships in Zagreb especially off the back of a successful Junior European Championships in Maribor.

“We are performing and medalling consistently at every level and we know that if our judoka perform on the day then the results will come.”

The 2017 Junior World Championships will start on Tuesday 18 October and will finish on Sunday 22 October.

Competition is currently set to start at 0900 (UK Time) each day and it will be live streamed via ijf.org with live updates on GB performances on Twitter @BritishJudo