Plymstock School student Max Gregory continued an impressive year with an invitation to attend an exclusive judo training camp in Japan in October.
The youngster currently holds the title of 90kg British Cadet Champion, and regularly represents England at Cadet Cups throughout Europe.
Max has gone from strength to strength with his judo, even being handpicked to represent Team GB. His most recent event took place in Japan, the home of judo globally, but they are also the next Olympic hosts, making the opportunity even more important.
Max was given the chance to travel alongside only 12 other individuals to take part in this camp which followed the British Judo Association’s technical development framework.
He trained at multiple different high schools during his visit, allowing him to work on his skills with other top competitors and continue to push his own limits in a challenging environment. The focus of the training camp was to ensure young athletes have the technique and ability to be able to transition into senior competition in years to come.
Throughout the ten-day trip he was not only able to work on his judo, but was also introduced to the rich culture that is prevalent across Japan.
Another of his exciting events took place in Holland just prior to the GB Futures Camp where he completed two competitions in two days, winning both events. One of these was in Emmen in north-eastern Netherlands, with the other taking place around two and a half hours away in Alkmaar. That competition consisted of three fights of knock out rounds, all of which he won by ippon (scoring one full point). As well as this, he was also given the opportunity to fly to Strasbourg earlier in October for an intensive five-day GB heavyweight training programme to further develop these skills.
In addition to Max’s achievements, his younger sister Cordelia is also making a name for herself in the world of judo. Cordelia holds the title of Britain’s number one ranked cadet judoka in her weight and is also ranked 19th as a senior. Earlier this year, at the English Open in Walsall, she won gold in the over 70kg category, showing skill up against opponents older than her.
She is also in the England Squad and is working hard to try to join the GB Squad in the near future. Their hard work and dedication to the sport has clearly paid off, and wish them both all the best for their future sporting careers.
