British Judo Squad Set Sights on Abu Dhabi Grand Slam

This weekend marks Great Britain’s final Grand Slam and IJF World Tour appearance of the year, with nine elite athletes from the World Class Performance Programme (WCPP) taking to the mat in hopes of ending 2025 on a high.

Ethan Nairne (Bradley Stoke JC) will be Great Britain’s sole representative in the -73kg category, aiming to build on his recent outing at the Zagreb Grand Prix two weeks ago. Nairne has one medal to his name so far this year — a silver at the Tallinn European Open, alongside a seventh-place finish at the Dubrovnik Senior European Cup.

Lachlan Moorhead (Cannock JC) will line up in the -81kg division for his first Grand Slam appearance of the year. Moorhead recently returned from a long-term injury that kept him off the mat for 14 months, and he has returned in strong form with a 5th-place finish at the Skopje Senior European Cup, followed by bronze at the Prague European Open. With valuable mat time now behind him after Zagreb, he’ll be looking to push on and secure wins at this level once again.

Ollie Barratt (Dragons Academy) will compete in the -100kg category as he looks to build on his Zagreb performance, where he reached the Round of 16. Barratt is enjoying a strong year so far, highlighted by gold at the Gold Coast Oceania Open, alongside a 5th-place finish at the Dushanbe Grand Slam and 7th at the Tallinn European Open.

Chelsie Giles (Coventry JC) returns to action in the -57kg category for just her fourth competition of the year following an extended break after the Paris 2024 Olympics. Despite her limited schedule, Giles has quickly re-established her form, claiming bronze at the Prague European Open and silver at the Sarajevo European Open.

Joining her in the -57kg division is Acelya Toprak (Camberley JC), who has also enjoyed an impressive return to competition. Toprak has taken silver at the Tallinn European Open, bronze at the Guadalajara Grand Prix, and placed 5th at both the Zagreb and Lima Grand Prix events. She will be aiming to maintain that strong trajectory in Abu Dhabi.

Lucy Renshall (Stewart JA) heads into the -63kg category with high ambitions following her bronze medal at the Zagreb Grand Prix. Her return to the circuit after a year away has been superb, also featuring a gold medal at the Sarajevo European Open. She is certainly one to watch this weekend.

Jemima Yeats-Brown (Stewart JA) will contest the -70kg division, carrying confidence from her gold at the Tallinn European Open and bronze at the Prague European Open. With valuable mat time gained in Zagreb, she’ll be looking to build further momentum and take another step forward in Abu Dhabi.

Kelly Petersen-Pollard (Hardy Spicer 83) continues her strong 2025 campaign in the -70kg category. Her season already includes gold at the Dubrovnik Senior European Cup, silver at the Dushanbe Grand Slam, bronze at the Warsaw European Open, and 7th-place finishes at both the Tbilisi Grand Slam and Qingdao Grand Prix. She will aim to extend that consistency this weekend.

Emma Reid (Redbridge JC) has produced an outstanding run of results throughout 2025, winning gold at both the Dushanbe Grand Slam and La Nucia European Open, silver at the Grand Prix Upper Austria, bronze at the Qingdao Grand Prix, and placing 5th at the European Championships. Currently ranked 5th in the world, she has consistently proven herself a major threat in the -78kg field and will look to reinforce that status in Abu Dhabi.

Good luck to the whole squad!

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