Two members of Bristol-based judo club Tora Judo Kai fought their way to places on the rostrum at the prestigious British Championships in Sheffield at the weekend. Picking up three medals between them, 19-year-old Natasha Maslen won silver in the under 21s competition for her weight category on Saturday, followed with a bronze in the Senior Women's competition on Sunday.Renz Vallejera took bronze in the under 21s in his weight category with a spectacular throw for ippon, judo's maximum score, in the bronze medal fight.
Natasha’s day in the senior competition saw her come through the group stages comfortably after four fights, winning two by throws for ippon, the first in just over a minute. In her final pool she won one fight and then lost out to a current GB squad member with whom she trains. Natasha commented, " I've been working really hard during my first year at Bath and the results are now starting to come for me."
Natasha has trained at the Tora Judo Kai club in Pill since the age of 12 and is currently a student at Bath University, studying for a degree in Sports Performance. She trains 6 days a week for up to 5 hours a day, and is a member of the England Talented Development Squad. Last year she represented GBR at the Hungarian European Cup, finishing seventh, followed by a bronze medal at the Spanish Senior European Cup. Her ambition for the coming year is to represent GBR at the European and World Junior Championships.
17-year-old Renz Vallejera started the day with a hard fought contest in which he managed a win. He was unlucky to lose his second contest by a narrow margin and to the eventual silver medallist, and fought back through the repechage finishing the day with the bronze. He started judo when he was 8 years old, is currently studying for A-levels and is then hoping to join Natasha at Bath University. He also is a member of the England Talented Development Squad and was specially requested to train with the GBR judo team in their preparations for the London 2012 Olympic Games last summer.
Tora Judo Kai was also represented by 17-year-old Chloe Robyns-Landricombe who fought well and was unlucky to be thrown towards the end of a close-fought match in her first round. She came through the repechage with a beautifully executed throw in her second fight of the day, but lost out to a much more experienced player in her third missing out on the medals on this, her first event at this standard of competition.
Chloe's instructor, Sensei Caroline Hooker, said "Through hard work and dedication Chloe has gone from an inexperienced judoka only 2 years ago to one who has shown she is capable of competing and winning contests at national level. The British Championships was only her second point-scoring competition, and she should be very proud of her performance."
The fighters were coached on the day by Sensei Judy Maslen, who said, "I am so proud of all three players, they are getting the results for all the hard work they are putting in."
All three competitors train with Tora Judo Kai, which runs clubs in Pill, Filton Abbeywood, Hanham, Kingwood, Shirehampton and Launceston in Cornwall. The club has been running for 19 years and trains over 100 children from the age of 6 years and adults in judo and ju-jitsu each week. Principal Steve Chappell said, "It’s a great club with a team of instructors who are able to facilitate its members judo requirements from beginner to competitors of the highest level. New members are welcomed into a positive and friendly environment."
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