• Evan Molloy -73kg

  • Elliot Stewart -90kg

  • Chris Skelley -100kg

  • Sam Ingram -100kg

  • Jack Hodgson +100kg

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GB Judo Preview: Tashkent IBSA Judo World Cup

GB Judo’s VI team will be back in action on Monday 9 October at the 2017 Tashkent IBSA Judo World Cup in Uzbekistan.

A team of five will be taking to mat including recently crowned IBSA European champion Chris Skelley.

He will be joined by Evan Molloy (-73kg), Elliot Stewart (-90kg), Sam Ingram (-100kg) and Jack Hodgson (+100kg).

Skelley will go in as the highest ranked GB judoka, currently second in the world at -100kg. He will be aiming to back up the form he showed in Walsall in a strong field that includes current Paralympic champion Gwang Cheu Choi (KOR) and Brazilian legend Antonio Tenorio Silva.

He will be joined at -100kg by the vastly experienced Sam Ingram. The three-time Paralympian was one of the leading lights at -90kg for the better part of a decade but has opted to move up a weight category.

Devizes judoka Evan Molloy is the youngest member of the GB team but he impressed on his European Championships debut finishing seventh. Still only 18, the World Cup in Tashkent will be another opportunity for him to gain experience in a category that includes European champion Vasilii Kutuev (RUS) and Paralympic bronze medallist Nikolai Kornhass (GER).

Elliot Stewart also made his European Championship debut in Walsall in what was also his first VI Judo competition. The Birmingham judoka finished fifth, losing a close bronze medal contest against Ibrahim Bolukbasi (TUR). The Turkish is currently entered as is Uzbekistan’s Rio bronze medallist Shukhrat Boboev.

After finishing fifth at the European Championships Jack Hodgson will be wanting to get back on the medal rostrum in Tashkent. It’s a strong +100kg entry with three of the Rio Paralympic medallists stepping on the mat. Home judoka Adiljan Tulendibaev (UZB) will be aiming to put on a show for the home crowd after his gold in Rio while silver and bronze medallists Wilians Araujo (BRA) and Kento Masaki (JPN) will want to take top spot.

Ian Johns, Elite Performance Coach Paralympic Programme, said:

“We can’t wait to started in Tashkent. It’s a really good entry with a lot of new faces and some world-class judoka so it’ll be a good challenge for the team.

“It’s also really great that this event will run straight off the back of the Tashkent Grand Prix. It’s a fantastic venue and setup which will definitely make this feel like a prestige event.

“However, we’re confident that if the guys go out there and put in their best performances then the results will come.”

The competition will start at 0500 UK time with live streaming via ippon.tv and results via ippon.org. Follow @BritishJudo on Twitter for live updates throughout the day