|
The Olympic sport of judo
was included at the Redrow Suffolk Youth Games for the first time
this year in Bury St Edmunds at the St Edmundsbury Leisure Centre
and West Suffolk College on Sunday 10 July.
Judo was previously included
as a demonstration sport but due to the overwhelming interest
and successful presentations in recent years from the Eastern
Area, the sport is now a fixture at the event which also includes
hockey, athletics, basketball and cycling.
Three district councils
competed in the judo competition with Suffolk Coastal, Mid Suffolk
and Ipswich all fighting for the right to be crowned the inaugural
Suffolk Youth Games champions.
The aim of the competition
was for those new to the sport to have a chance to compete against
players of the same standard and experience a competition environment.
All players held 1st or
2nd Mon grades and the majority were taking part in their first
competition.
Medal winners with double Olympian and Suffolk Sport Chairman
Bill Tancred MBE
With three weight divisions
in the boys category and one in the girls it was a tremendously
successful competition as all participants enjoyed a very positive
experience and were already looking ahead to their next competition.
In the lightweight category
Charles Wareham, competing for Ipswich Borough, won gold with
Zackary Payne picking up the silver. In the middleweight category
Dylan Fotherby, competing for Suffolk Coastal, picked up gold
while teammate Nikita Pond won the heavyweight catgegory. Paige
Payne, also of Suffolk Coastal, picked up the gold in the girls
division.
Andrew Wilesmith, Eastern
Regional Development Officer said: “The 2011 Suffolk Youth Games
was a great event because we had so many young people competing
for the first time.
"It’s good to see
more youngsters actually going out to compete as that is a major
part of the sport. The fact that the players were competing for
their districts was an added incentive. In the team event Suffolk
Coastal won the gold, Mid Suffolk picked up the silver while Ipswich
took bronze. A big thank you goes out to Enjoy Judo coaches David
Oates and Dave Martin for supporting the event.”
|