Friday, August 25
Judo News Online

Randall heads challenge for medals

Graeme Randall, who last year became the first Briton to become a world champion in judo for 18 years, will head the national team's fight for medals in Sydney. Randall, 25, from Bonybrigg, became world light-middleweight champion last October, when he beat Farkhod Turaev, of Uzbekistan, in Birmingham. Neil Adams was the last Briton to win a world title, in 1981.

Randall heads a team of ten, including three men and seven women, bound for Sydney, the British Olympic Association confirmed today.

John Buchanan, from Camberley, will contest the 60kg and David Somerville, from Edinburgh, the 66kg category. Kate Howey, from Andover and a world champion in 1997, heads the women's team.

Britain returned from Atlanta in 1996 with no medals, the first time that has happened to the national judo squad since the sport was introduced to the Games at Munich in 1972.

Between 1972 and 1992, the British judo team won five silver medals and six bronze medals.

Craig Lord
The Times