Sally Conway -70kg

WRL 9

Age 31

Best Result in 2018: Paris Grand Slam Gold

Sally Conway has had a year to remember in 2018 with five medals in as many competitions for the Rio 2016 bronze medallist.

The experienced judoka made an historic start as she won gold at the Paris Grand Slam. Conway beat three top ten players on the day including the current World champion Chizuru Arai as she won GB’s first gold in Paris since Craig Fallon in 2003.

She hasn’t looked back since with bronze at the Antalya Grand Prix followed by a first European Championships medal as she won silver in Tel Aviv.

She has continued that form since the start of qualification with bronze medals at the Zagreb and Budapest Grand Prix.

In doing so she has continued to beat world-class opposition and she goes into the Worlds in Baku having beaten seven World top ten ranked judoka in 2018

Gemma Howell -70kg

WRL 19

Age 28

Best Result in 2018: European Championships Bronze

2018 has firmly established Gemma Howell’s place at -70kg as she’s continued to medal and beat some of the weight’s top players.

The Wolverhampton judoka started the year well as she won her third Grand Prix medal at -70kg with a good day at the Tunis Grand Prix.

In April she won her first Senior major championships medal with bronze at the European Championships in Tel Aviv. In the bronze medal contest Howell beat Spain’s two-time World medallist Maria Bernabeu.

She backed that up a month later in China with an outstanding performance at the Hohhot Grand Prix, her second Grand Prix bronze of the year.

Howell’s wins that day included victories over Rio 2016 bronze medallist Laura Vargas Koch (GER), 2017 World champion Chizuru Arai and then WRL 5 Anna Bernholm (SWE).

Conway and Howell will both fight on the fifth day of competition at the World Championships in Baku on Monday 24 September.