Judo Apprentices to Represent Team GB

The two exceptional Walsall College judo apprentices who have won places on the under 20s British Judo Squad, were able to celebrate their success at the College this week, after returning from training camps in Belgium and Japan.

Kyle Sweet from Wolverhampton Judo Club (Under 60Kg) and Max Stewart from Halesowen Judo Club (Under 73Kg) recently won Gold medals in their respective weight categories in the 2011 Under 20 British Trials and now qualify for the Under 20 Great Britain Team.

As a result of their win in January, the two students immediately went on to represent Great Britain at training camps domestically and internationally, starting with a training camp in Belgium and Tsukuba University in Tokyo Japan in February.

Both students are from Judo clubs in the local area and study the Advanced Apprenticeship in Sporting Excellence (AASE) at Walsall College. AASE is a programme designed specifically for talented Judo players aged between 16-19 years and allows them to develop their potential in Judo through enhanced training whilst continuing their education.

Max Stewart commented: “I’m pleased to have done so well and am really happy with my progress. I was born into judo; my dad won an Olympic medal and I’ve always had the drive to succeed in the sport. The course involves a lot of intense training and I hope to keep building on this success and to eventually win an Olympic medal myself”.

Kyle Sweet said: “This is my first year in under 20s age bracket and I was mainly entering the competition to build my experience up. I was delighted to come away with a Gold medal and a place on the junior GB team. I have been training really hard and this is a great reward for all my hard work. In the future, I want to take my judo further and compete in the Olympics and World Championships”.

Trainer Assessor at Walsall College, Jonathan Fox said: “I would like to congratulate each of the individuals who competed on the day and also to their own personal coaches who support them so much on a daily basis at their own local judo clubs. The fact that they are 16 and 17 years of age makes their performance even more incredible, competing in an event for players under 20 years of age. If the students continue with the drive, passion, talent and success they have shown so far, they may well become Olympic Judo Champions in the future”.

Both players are now desperate to find sponsorship in order for them to continue on the high performance pathway. Anyone interested in supporting these two outstanding individuals should contact the AASE programme manager Dave Elmore on 07905 680032 or email d.elmore@wlv.ac.uk