Breeding Ground for Success
BREEDING GROUND FOR SUCCESS: The Tonbridge Judo players, with their new mini-bus
CHRIS Bowles believes teenage sensation Jemima Yeats-Brown is a hot favourite to go to the London Olympics next year. The 16-year-old has enjoyed a remarkable season and it is not over yet. In five European A Tournaments she has taken three gold and two bronze medals. The Tonbridge judo star has also won the European Cadet Championships and taken the bronze at the World Cadets in Kiev. And, just weeks ago, she stunned everyone by winning the Heart of England Championships, competing as a senior in the under 63kg category.
The GB management have said they will only take senior players to the London
Games if they have a genuine medal hope, otherwise they will go for the top
juniors to give them the experience. "For me, I think she will be a hot
favourite to go to the Olympics," Bowles said. "I think she will be booking her
ticket soon."
On her way to gold at the Heart of England Championships, Jemima beat Charlotte
Potter, who is a near certainty to go to the European under 23 championships,
before seeing off Jodie Mullen in the final. The Scottish number 1 was
disqualified for a wrist lock – not that Jemima was too happy about that, she
wanted to beat her fair and square. "As she came off the mat, Jemima went over
to Jodie and said 'don't worry, I'll beat you properly next time'," Bowles said.
"The kid is just fantastic. "What she is doing is reassuring me that we are
doing the right things for her. I've trained talented kids before, but I can
never put my finger on what she will want to do next. "I said I wanted her to go
to the Heart of Englands and compete in the cadet championship."It doesn't sound
like it has much kudos, but it's a national qualifier. Jemima just said 'I don't
want to do it, I want to be number 1 senior, not junior'. "So I let her compete
as a senior this once and she went and won the thing – all by Ippon (until the
final)."
Jemima is off to the World under 20 Championships in South Africa next month and
you wouldn't bet against her ruffling a few feathers.
Jemima wasn't the only judo star
in top form at the Heart of England Championships in Walsall. George Cullum and
Olivia Pichata both took cadet gold and Enrico Atkinson took cadet silver.
In the senior ranks, James
Martin continued his comeback with a bronze medal, as did James Sparks and
Amelia Cook took silver.
STAR IN THE MAKING: Jemima Yeats-Brown
