Medal-winning weekend for Shudan Wellingborough judo club at AJA National Championships

It was a successful weekend for Shudan Wellingborough judo club members at two different competitions - The Amateur Judo Association Closed National Championship in Birmingham and the British Schools Championship in Sheffield.

Shudan Wellingborough judo club head coach, Dave Baldwin, said: “I was speechless.”

While this is surprising for anyone who knows him, you can understand when you consider that eight members of his club have been promoted to the Amateur Judo Association National Squad following a competition last weekend.

All Shudan players who attended the AJA National Closed Championships in Erdington, Birmingham on Sunday (March 12) were awarded medals with them collectively taking home four golds, two silvers and two bronze.

Along with the medals, the judoka aged between five and 18 automatically earned themselves eligibility for a place in the International Houvast Judo Tournament in Mierlo, Holland in May this year.

Dave was told about the results by phone while coaching another player, Max, at the British Schools Championship in Sheffield.

He said: “I had a call from Luke, our lead junior coach, who was at the nationals with the rest of the team, and when he told me the results, I couldn’t believe it.

"I’m so proud of all of them, they’ve been working so hard leading up to this event, and they all enjoy themselves so much.”

Max had three fights and won the silver medal in his weight group, along with earning a further ten points towards his 1st dan, black belt.

Anyone who wants to try judo at the non-profit club in Wellingborough can get more information from their website, shudanjudo.co.uk, from Facebook @Shudanjudo, or by calling Dave on 07766 533165.