GB Judoka set for Paris Olympic Showdown
Tomorrow (Friday) will see the Olympic Games officially get underway with the lighting of the Olympic Flame.
Traditionally the judo programme will kick start the Games, and Paris is no different as the host nation celebrates one of its most loved sports as the Champ de Mars Arena plays host to the judo competition starting on Saturday 27 July.
Team GB will be represented by five judoka with three judoka making their Olympic debuts with two judoka making their second Olympic appearance having competed in Tokyo.
Sunday 28 July | Preliminary Rounds – 09:00 BST | Final Block 15:00
Chelsie Giles was Team GB’s first medallist in Tokyo when the -52kg judoka claimed bronze. Following that magical day, Giles has established herself as one of the best in the world, becoming European Champion and World silver medallist in 2022.
In Paris, Giles will be seeded 5th and following an opening round bye, will face either Larissa Pimenta (BRA) or Djamila Silva (CPV) in Round Two.
Monday 29 July | Preliminary Rounds – 09:00 BST | Final Block 15:00
Lele Nairne had the longest wait to be confirmed as an Olympian as she qualified through the Continental Quota at the final qualification event, the World Championships.
Nairne makes her Olympic debut in the -57kg category and will face 6th seed Eteri Liparteliani (GEO) in the opening round.
Tuesday 30 July | Preliminary Rounds – 09:00 BST | Final Block 15:00
Lucy Renshall has been in golden form this Olympic cycle following the disappointment of Tokyo where she was dealt the draw nobody wanted, a Japanese fighter in the opening round.
Since that day she has gone on to win eight Grand Slam medals, five of which were gold.
Renshall, who has made the podium twice at the Paris Grand Slam will face 5th seed Katherina Haecker (AUS) in the opening round. The pair have met on 7 previous occasions with Renshall emerging victorious from five of those contests.
Wednesday 31 July | Preliminary Rounds – 09:00 BST | Final Block 15:00
Jemima Yeats-Brown will be making her Olympic debut in Paris. The 29-year-old has proven herself as a championship performer after making two World Championship bronze medal contests – the most recent in 2023.
The two-time Commonwealth Games bronze medallist will face Aina-Laura Rasoanaivo-Razafy (MAD) in the opening round, with the victor progressing to face third seed and Tokyo Olympic Games silver medallist, Michaela Polleres (AUT) in Round Two.
Thursday 1 August | Preliminary Rounds – 09:00 BST | Final Block 15:00
Emma Reid secured her qualification in dramatic style when she won bronze at the World Championships, following back-to-back bronze medals at the Dushanbe and Kazakhstan Grand Slams.
Reid enters her first Olympic Games as one of the in-form athletes and will face Hyunji Yoon (KOR) in the opening round. Reid has faced Yoon on two previous occasions with the win record shared at one victory each.
The winner will progress to face 4th seed Zhenzhao Ma (CHN) in the second round who was World Championship silver medallist in 2022.
Following the draw, British Judo Women’s Lead Coach, Jamie Johnson said: “Overall we are feeling very positive. We all know that in judo there is no easy draw, but we are heading into the Olympic Games confident following the draw.”
Breaking down the draw and looking at opening-round opponents, Johnson added:
“In the -52’s everyone was nervous waiting to see where Abe (defending Olympic champion) would be in the draw. The earliest Chelsie will meet her is the semi-final and if the pair are to meet, I am confident in Chelsie’s ability to progress.
“Liparteliani is an athlete we know well but I am confident that Lele can beat anyone on her day.
“Lucy and Haecker are very similar fighters, being right-handed and tall; but Lucy has always been strong against right-handers.
“Mima’s first-round opponent is awkward, Kelly (Petersen-Pollard) faced her at the World Championships and gave us a hard time, with her style of fighting; but that said I am confident in Mima’s ability.
“Emma has had an incredible last 6 months, coming on leaps and bounds. She has a good draw facing fighters that she is more than capable of progressing against.”
How to watch the Games
The BBC will be bringing extensive coverage of the Paris 2024 Olympics across TV, iPlayer, Radio 5 Live, BBC Sounds, the BBC Sport website and the BBC Sport app.
Eurosport and discovery+ will deliver the ultimate Games experience with every moment of Paris 2024 available across all 19 days of competition with over 3,800 hours of live coverage via an extensive network of 55+ live channel feeds.
discovery+ will be available for just £3.99 per month during the Olympics. To take up the offer, take out the Standard Plan via discoveryplus.com from 17 July – 11 August.
Stay tuned to the official British Judo social media platforms to keep up to date with all the latest news from Paris. Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
The post GB Judoka set for Paris Olympic Showdown first appeared on British Judo.
The post GB Judoka set for Paris Olympic Showdown appeared first on British Judo.