British Judo enjoyed a special visit from London 2012 Olympic champion Kayla Harrison who cheered on competitors at the Junior and Senior British Championships this weekend (Saturday 13 and Sunday 14 December) that took place at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield.

The judoka from Boston faced Gemma Gibbons in the final and became the first American to win an Olympic gold medal in judo and in turn is a great inspiration for our young judoka.

Harrison, who is spending the Christmas break with friends in Camberley, watched with interest as Natalie Powell, took the -78kg British title on Sunday.

The former junior and senior world medallist said: “I’m in the United Kingdom for the holiday period and I wanted to come to Sheffield to watch some good judo. “You have a lot of up and coming talent. It is good to see how many juniors you have here and I am impressed with how high their level is for their age. You have some real stars in the making.

“Your players all have real fighting spirit. For me, even though I am on holiday, it is nice to be around people who all have a real passion for the sport.

“There has been some great quality of the senior judo here today too. So far I have seen some good judo and of course I am quite interested in the -78kg category!”

Following London 2012, Harrison took time out to have reconstructive knee surgery. She returned to competition in June and this year has competed in five tournaments, taking a bronze in the World Championships and ended the year with a gold at the Tokyo Grand Slam.

“I was pleased to take gold in the Tokyo Grand Slam and end the year on a high,” added the Kano Cup winner.

“Next year it is back to the grind since full Olympic qualification starts in May. Then it is all go to Rio 2016.

“While I am over in the UK for the Christmas holidays, I plan to attend training camps in Tonbridge and Kendal. My aim is to get as much experience as I can as 2015 is a big year. From what my coach tells me I will be fighting in every tournament I can. It all begins in February with the German Grand Prix in Dusseldorf.”

The Olympic Champion showed true sport as she watched the competitions, as one among the British judo fans.

After the finals Harrison presented medals to the British Judo Champions, including the group that included young Chelsie Giles and Lele Nairne, to finish off a fantastic day.

For more information on Kayla visit: http://kaylaharrison.com/

Words by Donna Richardson and photo by Mike Varey.