The review of the performance of the Commonwealth Games has taken place and for the Northern Ireland Judo competitors, coaching team and support staff, it was a massive success!
With two bronze medals and great placings achieved, the team returned to N.I. with more than just a “job done” in terms of their funding targets and the goals of the team.
Ciaran Ward, Performance Lead said:
“Overall, I am very pleased with the performances across the Team.
After a challenging preparation phase which included a few significant injuries, to have 6 N.I. Judoka contest Medal matches is remarkable. It is hard not to concede that we may have left a couple of medals behind, but to win 2 Medals and four 5th places, both surpasses our targets, and clearly presents the capability of this Programme to contest and win multiple medals at every Commonwealth Games.”
Russell Brown, Chairman of the Northern Ireland Judo Federation added:
“As Chairman of the Northern Ireland Federation, to say I am delighted with the performance of our players would be an understatement.
Being in the arena myself and seeing first hand how hard they fought, their conduct and professionalism both on and off the mat and of course their medals and placings, they were outstanding ambassadors for Northern Ireland Judo.
I’d like to offer my congratulations to the entire team, coaches and all the support staff involved in the build-up and the delivery of the athletes to the games and also my thanks for their hard work.
We now are in a great place to showcase how a small region can exceed expectations, and springboard the success of our team to our grassroots players with a view to growing Judo across the country and adding to the medal count in the future.”
With our Performance Squad and Academy restarting shortly after a summer break, we’re all excited to see what the future holds for our Northern Ireland Judoka at all levels!
If you have been inspired by our athletes and want to give Judo a try, you can find your nearest club by clicking here