Fifth for Ingram and Skelley at Paralympics

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It was not be for Sam Ingram (-90kg) and Chris Skelley (-100kg) on the last day of judo at the 2016 Rio Paralympic Games as both men lost very tight contests for bronze to Dartanyon Crockett (USA) and Yordani Fernandez Sastre (CUB) respectively on Saturday 10 September.

Ingram appeared to be making most of the early attacks but wasn’t able to force a shido and after another attack towards the end he found himself penalised for a drop attack.

Crockett was then able to control the contest and countered well with a couple of yukos scored to take the bronze medal.

Skelley pushed 2014 World bronze medallist Sastre hard and wasn’t far off getting a juji-gatame but a shido towards the final minute changed things in the contest and in trying to get close and score big, Skelley was countered well with the Cuban picking up three yukos in the last minute.

Earlier in the day both men had lost their opening contests to Jorge Hierrezuelo (CUB) and Antonio Tenorio (BRA). For Ingram the contest with Hierrezuelo was a rematch from the final at London 2012 and after leading by yuko he found himself held down in the final minute and dropped into the repechage.

In the repechage Ingram was too good for Haruka Hirose (JPN) and Arthur Da Silva Cavalcante (BRA) winning both contests by ippon and moving into the bronze medal match.

Skelley found himself on the wrong end of the referee in his quarter-final contest with Paralympic legend Tenorio as the experienced judoka proved difficult to put away and in golden score the referee gave the decisive shido against the British fighter.

In his opening repechage contest Skelley displayed his impressive newaza on Oliver Upmann (GER) as he forced him to tap out via juji-gatame before grinding out a win on shidos against Turkey’s Ibrahim Bolukbasi.

Natalie Greenhough (-70kg) and Jack Hodgson (+100kg) were also in action today with both finishing in seventh. Greenhough gave home favourite Alana Martins Maldonado (BRA) a real contest early doors as well and didn’t look fazed after joining the team at such short notice.

Hodgson gave London 2012 champion Kento Masaki (JPN) and Beijing 2008 champion Ilham Zakiyev (AZE) a real run for their money but was just unable to get over the line against either man with both of his opponents under serious pressure throughout.