It’s set to be a busy weekend for Great Britain’s judoka, with squads competing across two continents at the Zagreb Grand Prix, Montreal Panamerican Open, Junior Panamerican Cup, and Cadet Panamerican Cup.

Zagreb Grand Prix

A talented 14-person squad, packed with World Class Performance Programme athletes, will take on a high-level international field at the Zagreb Grand Prix (Friday 14 – Sunday 16 November).

Charlie Young (Ryecroft JC) will be Great Britain’s only representative in the -66kg category, aiming to build on his strong recent form. He narrowly missed out on a medal at the Guadalajara Grand Prix, finishing fifth, and earlier this year claimed bronze at the Prague European Open and silver at the Podgorica Senior European Cup.

In the -73kg division, Ethan Nairne (Bradley Stoke JC) makes his first Grand Prix appearance of 2025 alongside Ben Levy (Budokwai), who has been in impressive form all year. Levy recently placed seventh at the Junior World Championships after winning gold at the Berlin and Kaunas Junior European Cups, gold at the Warsaw European Open, and fifth at both the Junior European Championships and the Birmingham and Poznan Junior European Cups.

Lachlan Moorhead (Cannock JC) steps into the -81kg category, continuing his comeback after more than a year out through injury. Since returning, he has taken bronze at the Prague European Open and fifth at the Skopje Senior European Cup.

In the -90kg class, Jamal Petgrave (Westcroft JC) continues to show his consistency on the circuit. This year he has collected bronze medals at the Prague European Open and the Podgorica Senior European Cup, alongside a fifth place in Dubrovnik and seventh in Rome.

Britain will have a strong pairing in the -100kg division. Ollie Barratt (Dragons Academy) comes in fresh from winning gold at the Gold Coast Oceania Open two weeks ago, while Rhys Thompson (Enfield JC) recently took bronze at the Sarajevo European Open, showing both are in great form heading into Zagreb.

In the -57kg category, Chelsie Giles (Coventry JC) continues her steady return after the Paris Olympic Games. She has won silver at the Sarajevo European Open and bronze at the Prague European Open in 2025 so far. She’s joined by Acelya Toprak (Camberley JC), who has impressed since returning to the British team with silver at the Tallinn European Open, bronze at the Guadalajara Grand Prix and fifth at the Tbilisi Grand Prix, proving her strength and ability in this division.

Lucy Renshall (Stewart JA) will compete in the -63kg category, stepping up to her highest-level event since the Paris Games. She made a winning return at the Sarajevo European Open, taking gold in her only outing of the season so far.

In the -70kg division, Jemima Yeats-Brown (Stewart JA) returns to form after a long injury break, winning gold at the Tallinn European Open and bronze at the Prague European Open in her only two events of the year. She’ll line up alongside Kelly Petersen-Pollard (Hardy Spicer 83), who has been one of Britain’s standout performers in 2025, with gold at the Dubrovnik Senior European Cup, silver at the Dushanbe Grand Slam, bronze at the Warsaw European Open, and a seventh-place finish at the Qingdao Grand Prix, underlining her consistency across multiple major events.

The British team is completed by a powerful -78kg duo. Emma Reid (Redbridge JC) arrives as one of the most in-form judoka in the country, with bronze at the Qingdao Grand Prix, gold at both the Dushanbe Grand Slam and La Nucia European Open, silver at the Upper Austria Grand Prix, and fifth at the Senior European Championships throughout 2025. She is joined by Shelley Ludford (JC Osaka), who recently claimed bronze at the Prague European Open, an excellent result in a quiet season so far that has seen her compete just three times.

Montreal Panamerican Open

It’s a busy weekend in Canada, with a 40-strong British squad set to compete at the Montreal Panamerican Open (Saturday 15 – Sunday 16 November).

In the -60kg division, GB will be represented by Ross Dempsey (Clyde Judo), Coen Gilbert (Sportif), Laurence Hill (Dragons Academy), Evan Price (Craig Ewers Academy), Joseph Buchanan (Sportif), Nordine Adrif (Garioch Judo), and Rhys Clydesdale (JC Esprit).

At -66kg, Joshua Bell (Camberley JC) and James Gray (Destination Judo) will take to the tatami, while the -73kg category features a strong lineup of Eden Heffernan (Pro Judo), Steven Rabet (Sportif), Ben Moore (Bradley Stoke JC), Daniel Pacitti (Jidel Judo 93), Ryan Turnbull (Destination Judo), and Jack MacLeod (Garioch Judo).

The -81kg division sees Kylan Aylward (Dragons Academy), Harrison Evans (Judo Swansea), Jacob Callaghan (Destination Judo), and Del Imrie (Jidel Judo 93) in action, with Kenneth Harris (Royal Navy Judo), Asher Price (Pinewood JC), and Arad Ghafoorirad (Pro Judo) competing at -90kg.

Jaden Calder (JC Esprit) and Kevin Gordon (Hibari Kan JC) will contest the -100kg field, while Daniel Ede (Westcroft JC), Joshua Whitehouse (Judo Swansea), and Gregor Miller (Tayside JC) round out the men’s lineup in the +100kg division.

On the women’s side, Alexis Buchanan (Sportif), Ashleigh Barnikel (Bradley Stoke JC), and Leah Hasler (Rush Judo) will compete in the -48kg category. Harriet Jones (Pro Judo) and Jocelyn Callaghan (Destination Judo) will represent GB at -52kg, with Stephanie Walker (Cardiff JA) as the nation’s sole entry in the -57kg division.

The -63kg field features Sunny Doig (Just Judo Yoshin), Tomi Imrie (Jidel Judo 93), Millie Bayliss (Bradley Stoke JC), and Mary Bronach McGill (Sportif), while the team is completed by Rachael Hawkes (Camberley JC), Holly Devall (Dragons Academy), and Paige Keane (Dragons Academy), who will compete in the -70kg division.

Montreal Junior Panamerican Cup

The Junior competition in Montreal gets underway today (Thursday 13 October), with 19 British judoka set to compete, many of whom will also take to the tatami again in the Panamerican Open later this weekend.

In the -60kg division, Laurence Hill (Dragons Academy), Rhys Clydesdale (JC Esprit), Coen Gilbert (Sportif), Joseph Buchanan (Sportif), and Isaac Callaghan (Destination Judo) will represent Great Britain.

At -73kg, Ben Moore (Bradley Stoke JC), Jack MacLeod (Garioch JC), Steven Rabet (Sportif), and Eden Heffernan (Pro Judo) are set to compete, while Kylan Aylward (Dragons Academy) will be the nation’s sole representative in the -81kg category.

Arad Ghafoorirad (Pro Judo) will take on the -90kg field, with Kevin Gordon (Hibari Kan JC) and Jaden Calder (JC Esprit) contesting the -100kg division.

On the women’s side, Alexis Buchanan (Sportif) will compete in the -48kg category, while Harriet Jones (Pro Judo) and Jocelyn Callaghan (Destination Judo) will feature at -52kg.

Mary Bronach McGill (Sportif) and Sunny Doig (Just Judo Yoshin) will line up in the -63kg division, and Paige Keane (Dragons Academy) will round out the junior squad in the -70kg category.

Montreal Cadet Panamerican Cup

Isaac Callaghan (Destination Judo) will be Great Britain’s sole cadet representative in the Montreal Cadet Panamerican Cup (Friday 14 November), competing in the -60kg division.

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