14 GB Judoka set for Antalya Grand Slam
The IJF World Tour heads to Türkiye for the final event before the Doha World Championships in May.
The Antalya Grand Slam will play host to 600 judoka who will be in action over the next three days in an arena that GB Judo has enjoyed great success over the years. Lucy Renshall, who recently won gold at the Tbilisi Grand Slam has topped the podium in Antalya in 2021 and 2022.
Friday 31st (05:30 (BST) – Preliminary Rounds | 15:00 – Final Block)
World number one, Chelsie Giles (Coventry Judo Club; Simon Moss) leads the -52kg entries. Giles has a 100% record in 2023 with gold medals at the Portugal Grand Prix and Tel Aviv Grand Slam.
Giles will face Ariane Toro Soler (ESP) in round two, following an opening round bye.
Following a 7th place finish at the Tbilisi Grand Slam last weekend, Nekoda Smythe-Davis (Ealing Judo Club; Jo Crowley) will be in action in the -57kg category.
Drawn in Pool B, Smythe-Davis has been drawn against 5th seed Telma Monteiro (POR) in the second round, following an opening round bye.
Neil Macdonald (SJCA; Stephen Somerville) and Charlie Young (Ryecroft Judokwai; Paul Young) make their World Tour debuts in the -60kg and -66kg categories respectively.
Macdonald will face Ryan Conceicao (BRA) in round two following an opening round bye.
Young, who recently won gold at the Rome European Open, will be joined by Alex Short (Edinburgh JC; Billy Cusack) in the -66kg category.
Young will face Abdullah Berkin Ozcan (TUR) in the opening round whilst Short will face Shugen Nakanko (PHI).
Recent Warsaw European Open bronze medallist, Amy Platten (Redbridge JC; Guy Platten) will be in action in the -48kg category.
Drawn in Pool B, Platten will face 5th seed Shira Rishony (ISR) in round two, following an opening round bye.
Saturday 1st (06:00 – Preliminary Rounds | 15:00 – Final Block)
Gemma Howell (Wolverhampton JC; Bill Kelly) and Kelly Petersen-Pollard (Hardy Spicer; Fitzroy Davies) both head to Antalya following 5th place finishes at the Tbilisi Grand Slam last weekend.
Competing in the -63kg category, Howell will face Hannah Martic (USA) in round two, following an opening round bye.
Meanwhile, Petersen-Pollard, who finished 5th at the 2022 Antalya Grand Slam, will compete alongside Jemima Yeats-Brown (Ryecroft Judokwai; Ian Oliver) in the -70kg category.
Petersen-Pollard will face Roza Nyssantaikyzy (KAZ) in the opening round whilst, Yeats-Brown has an opening round bye before facing either Anastassiya Mayakova (KAZ) or Joana Crisostomo (POR).
Eric Ham (Glossop JC; Geoff Ham) and Lachlan Moorhead (Sheffield JC: Matt Moorhead) will compete in the -73kg and -81kg categories respectively.
Ham has been drawn in Pool D and will face Askarbek Ishenbaev (KGZ) in the opening round. Meanwhile, Moorhead will face Tomas Morales (ARG) in the opening round.
Sunday 2nd (06:30 – Preliminary Rounds | 15:00 – Final Block)
Emma Reid (Redbridge JC; Steve Sandy) recorded a 7th place finish at the 2022 Antalya Grand Slam. The 2023 Portugal Grand Prix bronze medallist, will face Shori Hamada (JPN) in the opening round.
Jamal Petgrave (Westcroft Judo Club; Andy Ede) and Harry Lovell-Hewitt (Stroud JC; Richard Neale) will compete in the -90kg and -100kg categories respectively.
Recent Warsaw European Open bronze medallist, Petgrave, has an opening round contest against Aram Grigorian (UAE).
Lovell-Hewitt has picked up two European Open silver medals in Sofia and Rome this year. Competing in his second Grand Slam of the year, he will face Laurin Boehler (AUT) in round two following an opening round bye.
British Judo will also be represented on the mat by referee Lisa Rivers who has been selected to officiate at the event.
You can watch all the action from the Antalya Grand Slam LIVE at live.ijf.org each day.
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