It is with sadness that we see Sophie Cox leave the England programme to take up a post as England Talent Manager for GB Climbing, who will no doubt prove to be an asset for their sport.

Sophie has worked within the England Talent Team for British Judo since 2018, coaching a plethora of fighters from pre-cadet through to senior. Throughout the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, Sophie supported Team England fighters in achieving their successes and 13 medals cementing England to the top of the judo medal table. Cox has also represented Great Britain and England as a fighter at every level, including 2x Olympic Games (2004 & 2012) and the 2002 Commonwealth Games where she won bronze in front of a home crowd.

We have seen a number of our staff over the years transition to other sports and see this as a positive, as Judo will influence another sport within the UK Sporting system. Sophie leaves British Judo knowing that she has done a fantastic job in supporting the development of our future England Olympic and Paralympic fighters and we wish her all the very best in her new role.

Sophie shares her excitement with us and looks forward to her new challenges as England Talent Manager at  GB Climbing.

“I’ve really enjoyed my time working at British Judo and would like to thank everyone at the BJA for their support. I will especially miss all the fantastic fighters and coaches I’ve had the pleasure to work with over the last few years and look forward to seeing their continued development and success in the future. I’m excited to be moving on to a new challenge but I will definitely be keeping in touch with the judo community and will always remain connected.”

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