Harrow School Crowned 2019 British Schools Champions
Harrow School have scooped the Simon Hicks trophy following the recent 2019 edition of the British Schools Championships in Sheffield.
With 25 athletes entering the event over the weekend, they were able to accumulate enough points to take home the Simon Hicks trophy after just the first day of competition.
Each school received 1 point for each athlete that was entered into the competition along with six points for a Gold medal, four points for a Silver medal and two points for a Bronze medal.
Harrow’s victory was spearheaded by a dominant performance in the Years 8-9 competition at -73kg and -81kg with a Gold and Silver in both categories. Emmanuel Olowe and Giancarlo Urselli topped the podium on this occasion as they defeated school colleagues Jude Esposito and Philip Truscott to take home gold. They were further bolstered by Bronze medal victories at Years 8-9 by a double bronze medal victory in the -81kg competition with wins for Matthew Gaffaney and Baba Obatoyinbo.
Head Coach Paul Ajala was understandably delighted with his team’s result:
“Having finished as winning school four times previously, the British Schools Judo Championships is the competitive highlight of Harrow’s judo calendar and we train towards it.”
“Our boys cannot get out to local clubs so easily, so we keep a high standard by bringing in several world-class coaches and offering training camps in Lanzarote as school trips.”
“Harrow’s Assistant Director of Sport, Graham Furber, accompanied the team this year. It was his first time attending a judo event and he was blown away by the sheer magnitude and professionalism of this event.”
“Harrow School take judo very seriously, with Matt Glossop, 4th Dan, as Master in Charge and other teachers and management fully committed to the sport. They recognise the wider benefits of judo, which is now a key feature of the PE curriculum for all new boys.”
“We look forward to seeing you all next year where we will be doing our utmost to defend our title!”
Other notable medal wins for Harrow included George Davies taking home silver in the Boys Years 10-11 -73kg competition, Peter Peganov’s silver medal triumph in the Boys Years 10-11 -90kg and both Jan Kryca and Harry Cleeve claiming silver in the Boys Years 12-13 -90kg and +90kg respectively.
