Gazette Sport

JUDO: Judgement days for Reed

By Dan Barnes

7:00pm Thursday 26th January 2012

TOM Reed’s London 2012 ambitions could be decided in the next month after the Devizes judoka clinched the senior British Championship title in Sheffield last weekend.

Reed, 25, won the U81kgs category at the British Closed Championships at the English Institute of Sport, handing a significant boost to his Olympic hopes.

The University of Bath-based player, from Mayenne Place, was confirmed in Great Britain’s initial 30-strong squad for the London Games, but with multiple world and European bronze medallist Euan Burton also in his weight category, Reed must maintain his form to achieve his dream.

The Wiltshire hopeful will participate in the next three World Cup meetings in Georgia, Austria and the Czech Republic between now and the end of February to try and cement his place.

Burton landed a bronze at the recent World Masters in Kazakhstan and Reed admitted: “It’s down to myself and Euan Burton in my weight.

“I’ll be going to the next three World Cup events and he’s going to a Grand Slam and a Grand Prix.

“I’ve always known that he would be the person that I’d have to try and do better than and I’ve just got to do my best to get as many points as I can.

“If I don’t get World Cup medals then it won’t be good enough but I’ve got three before so I know I can do it.’’

Meanwhile, fellow Devizes judoka Jemima Duxberry was also crowned a British champion as she took the U63kg category title in the Junior Closed Championships.

Duxberry, 17, was then delighted to keep her nerve as she came out on top in Tuesday’s Commonwealth Championships in Cardiff.

“It was such a different experience because we fought on a stage and the spotlight was on you,” she said.

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