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At the British Judo Performance
Institute in Dartford the Paralympic Games countdown clock will
reach 500 days this Sunday (17 April).
With the Games looming
British Judo’s highly-successful Paralympic Programme are ramping
up their preparations and hitting their stride just at the right
time.
In 2010 Ben Quilter fulfilled
his promise at the world stage as he became Britain’s first VI
World Champion in 12 years. The -60kg star, who finished fifth
in Beijing, was closely followed by silver medal efforts from
Coventry brothers Sam and Joe Ingram in the -90kg and -100kg categories
respectively. Meanwhile talent search product Lesley Reid took
bronze on her first major British selection.
Quilter, 29, clinched the
IBSA World Games title a week ago to simultaneously hold two world
crowns. The remarkable rise of Royston’s 49-year-old Lesley Reid
continued as the hard-working judoka took a well-deserved silver
medal.
As one of the world’s most
prominent forces in visually impaired judo, Britain will relish
the opportunity to compete at the VI European Championships on
home soil as K2 Crawley hosts the three-day event from 18 – 20
November.
Just nine months before
the London 2012 Paralympic Games, the continent’s premier VI event
is expected to attract the world-ranked judoka from all over Europe.
Britain has a strong track
record at the event and in 2009 recorded their best ever result
of four medals.
Ben Quilter, the reigning
VI World Champion and IBSA World Games title holder, said: “500
days is an important marker in everyone’s preparations and I think
things are now going to feel a lot more real.
“I haven’t done the maths
but it means a lot more week’s hard training but I’m seeded number
one, I’m top of my game and I’m full of confidence.
“When I fought at Beijing
in 2008 I took on a Chinese judoka and the atmosphere was electric,
I can’t wait to experience that. London 2012 will be a hugely
impressive event and it’ll mean everything to be there.”
Lesley Reid, who only joined
the full-time programme in 2010, said: “I cannot believe that
we are already down to 500 days.
“It does not seem long
ago that the 1000 day mark was reached and I received a phone
call as part of the talent search. I am now about to start
preparing for the November European Championships in
Crawley and I hope that many people will come to watch so that
I can experience (to some degree) what it might be like to compete
in front of a home crowd.
“I have tried not to think
about 2012, as it still feels like a dream. I hope that I will
perform as well as I can and may be inspire a few people that
competitive judo does not have to stop when you are over 30. I
am so grateful for this opportunity and for the support and encouragement
that I am getting.”
Dave Sanders, Paralympic
Programme Manager, said: “Our recent results at the World Games
(one gold, one silver) and 2010 World Championships (one gold,
two silver and one bronze) indicate we are on the right track
for medal success in 2012. That said, every other nation
is also improving at a rapid rate and we need to work hard over
the next 500 days to stay ahead of the game.
“The
European championships in November in Crawley will be another
opportunity for us to gain valuable competition experience and
in particular, compete in a major event on home soil ahead of
the Games in London.”
Margaret Hicks, British
Judo’s Performance Director, recognises the great strides the
Paralympic Programme is continuing to make.
“Our Visually Impaired
team continues to demonstrate medal consistency and deliver performances
at World level,” she said.
“The performance culture
amongst the players has continued to improve as we reach the 500
Days landmark.
“All players have an individually
managed programme from the British Judo Performance Institute,
with the main group being based at Dartford and a small number
of individuals who train elsewhere, but who come in and spend
time within the core programme. We have an excellent lead coach
in Jean Paul Bell and Programme Manager Dave Sanders, who have
both kept this group of players on track for medals in London
2012.
“Both disciplines, Paralympic
and Olympic, are working well together and we are able to benefit
from sharing coaching and sport science/medical expertise and
resources across both programmes.”
For information on the
VI European Championships and event volunteering opportunities
please visit www.ibsajudoeurochamps2011.co.uk
Applications
for Paralympic Games tickets will open in September 2011 and will
follow a similar process to Olympic Games tickets.
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