Tokyo 2020 Bronze medallist Chelsie Giles returned home to Coventry Judo Club on Friday evening to a hero’s welcome on the mat.

Giles claimed Team GB’s first medal of the Olympic Games last month and after returning home to the UK, paid a visit to her hometown club to inspire the next generation of athletes.

Coventry Judo Club has a storied history of producing international judoka with the likes of Neil Adams MBE, Sam Ingram, Yasmin Javadian and Joshua Giles in recent years.

Joining in with the junior session, Giles help coach some of the youngsters on the mat whilst proudly showing off the newest medal to her growing collection.

Giles was thrilled to be back on home turf and will be forever grateful for their support over her career.

“It is great to be back at Coventry Judo Club, who have supported me for a long time, to share my medal success with them and hopefully inspire the next generation of judoka”

“It still feels surreal, I can remember watching Sally win bronze in Rio, and to think I have now done the same, it hasn’t quite sunk in yet!”

Coach Simon Moss was excited to see Giles back at Coventry and couldn’t wait to welcome her back into the group:

“It is great to have Chelsie here showing off her medal to the youngsters which will be a great inspiration for them all.”

“Coventry Judo Club has had great success over the years. For me Chelsie’s Olympic bronze medal is right up there with the Olympic and Paralympic successes of Neil Adams and Sam Ingram”

“I believe the success we have achieved at Coventry Judo Club is because we keep it simple, it is all about fundamental judo to start, before we add it the tactical elements once judoka start to compete”

Junior member, Mackenzie Dove was in awe of Chelsie’s achievement and hope it will inspire himself onto similar success:

“Inspiring. I don’t think any other word can do Chelsie’s achievement justice. I remember watching her train 5 years ago thinking wow, that is incredible, and to now see her dominating on a world level is amazing to see.”

“Chelsie inspiring me applies both to the world of judo and the real world. To watch somebody dedicate their life to one goal, shows that you really can achieve anything if you really set your mind to it.”