Six British Judoka set for Paris Grand Slam
The Paris Grand Slam has long been regarded as one of the highlights of the judo calendar and the 2020 edition will be no different as six British Judoka will step onto the mat at the AccorsHotel Arena this weekend (8th-9th February) looking for yet more valuable Olympic qualification points.
With Olympic and World medallists adorning each weight category, the Paris Grand Slam promises to be a fantastic weekend of judo action.
Day 1: Saturday 8th
Ashley McKenzie (-60kg), who was a bronze medallist at the Paris Grand Slam back in 2018, leads a strong British contingent on the opening days action.
McKenzie has been seeded 5th and is drawn in Pool B. Following an opening round bye he will face the victor of the opening round match between Fraj Dhouibi (TUN) and Mohamad Akkash (IRT)
Lucy Renshall (-63kg) will continue to push for Tokyo 2020 qualification in a weight category where British Judo is particularly strong. Renshall, who finished in 5th place at the 2017 and 2018 Paris Grand Slams and 7th in 2019, has been drawn in Pool C. Following an opening round bye she will face Estefania Garcia (ECU) in the second round.
Lubjana Piovesana (-63kg) will be making her Paris debut. Her best Grand Slam performance came in February 2019 when she finished 5th in Dusseldorf.
Piovesana, drawn in Pool B, has an opening round match against a familiar opponent, former British Judo Junior athlete, Prisca Awiti Alcaraz (MEX). The pair last met in 2018 at the Minsk European Open where Piovesana was victorious.
Day 2: Sunday 9th
Sally Conway (-70kg) enjoyed a golden start to 2020, topping the podium at the Tel Aviv Grand Prix. The 2018 Paris Grand Slam gold medallist, and second seed, has an opening round bye and will face the winner of the opening round match between Oula Dahouk (IRT) and Demos Memneloum (CHA).
Gemma Howell (-70kg) claimed two Grand Slam bronze medals in 2019 in Baku and Brasilia in addition to back to back gold medals at the Budapest and Zagreb Grand Prix’s.
Howell has been drawn in Pool A and will face the 2017 European Youth Olympic Festival bronze medallist, Lea Adam-Sendra (AND) in the opening round.
Sarah Adlington (+78kg) had a 5th place finish at the Marrakesh Grand Prix before 7th place finishes at the Ekaterinburg Grand Slam and the European Games in 2019. The 2019 Tashkent Grand Prix bronze medallist has an opening round bye and will face home athlete, and 2019 European Junior Champion, Lea Fontaine (FRA) in the second round.
Competition starts at 07:00am GMT on Saturday and 07:30am GMT on Sunday with final block starting at 16:00 GMT.
Competition will be live streamed via live.ijf.org and you can follow the @BritishJudo social media pages for results over the weekend.
The Paris Grand Slam will also be featured on the BBC Sport website and digital platforms: BBC Sport app, Connected TV and iPlayer.
