A five-strong Great Britain visually-impaired judo team goes into action at next week’s World Championships in Brazil.
 
The International Blind Sports Federation (IBSA) World Championships and Games is one of the qualification events for the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games.
 
The team of Darren Harris, brothers Joe and Samuel Ingram, Ben Quilter and Ian Rose, fly out to Sao Paulo on Thursday (26th July) and compete between the 1st and 3rd August.
The team rounded off their preparations for Sao Paulo with a week training at the high performance judo centre at the University of Bath.
 
Steve Gawthorpe, coach of the GB visually-impaired judo team, said: “Our preparation for the World Championships has been as good as it gets, so we’re looking forward to it,” he said. “It’s up to them now.”
 
Ian Rose won Britain’s only judo medal at the Athens 2004 Paralympic Games, returning home with a silver medal to add to his bronze from Atlanta 96. He then added a bronze to his personal medal haul at the last World Championships and won another bronze at the European Championships in Azerbaijan in May. If he makes the team for Beijing, it would be the High Wycombe athlete’s fifth Paralympic Games.
 
“Every Games is different and you have to prepare for each one differently as well,” he said. “I couldn’t prepare for Beijing the same way as I did for Atlanta, Sydney or Athens because I’m older, but I’m also wiser and I’ve got more experience. Hopefully that will balance the scales a bit. I’ve had a really good lead-up to the World Championships and I’m raring to go. I can’t wait,” he said. “I’ve just got to make sure I peak at the right time. We’ve had three training camps so far and they’ve all gone really well. I’ve had a few injuries, but I always have something going into a competition. A medal at the Worlds would be satisfying, but I’d count a place in the final as a success,” he added.
 
The other four members of the team for Sao Paulo are yet to compete at a Paralympic Games.
 
Darren Harris, who lives in Bristol and trains at the University of Bath, won silver in the under-66kg division at the European Championships in May and goes at the same weight in Sao Paulo. “I never really feel confident as such before a big competition because there are too many variables. I’ve trained hard and I can’t do any more now. I have to wait to see what the draw is like,” he added. “If you can avoid the best players early on it gives you a much better chance. I always seem to keep fighting the same people though!”
 
Brighton’s Ben Quilter also won silver at the Europeans in the under-60kg division. Like Harris, he is also bidding to make his first Paralympic Games. He considered quitting after missing out on a place for the team for Athens, but says ultimately it made him more determined to go to Beijing and do well there.
 
“I’m determined to go to Beijing,” he said. “After missing Athens I considered packing it in. I was devastated at the time, but with hindsight it might have been the best thing that could happen to me. I’m more determined and more focused now, and I think I’m much more ready for a Paralympic Games now.”
 
Brothers Samuel and Joe Ingram from Coventry are comparative newcomers to the GB visually-impaired set-up.
 
Samuel fights at under-90kg and finished a creditable fifth at this year’s European Championships – his first major competition. “I’ve been training as hard as I can, I’m feeling good and positive, I want to make as big an impact as I can, although I’m not really expecting to win,” said 21-year-old Samuel. “I’d like to get to Beijing, but my main target is London 2012. “
 
Big brother Joe is an English Literature with Media student at University College Falmouth and competes in the over-100kg class in Sao Paulo. At 107kg, the 25-year-old could come up against fighters of 130 or 140kg. “I’m looking forward to getting involved in my first major competition and to fighting some big lads,” he said. “Some of them could be 40 per cent heavier than me, but I’m hoping my agility will help.”
 
Simon Jackson has had to withdraw from the squad for Brazil through injury.
 

Credit: BPA/Matchtight Ltd