Berkhamsted-trained Aylesbury College judo trio are Australia-bound

The Hertfordshire/Buckinghamshire trio will head to Australia next month.

Skye Westwood and Stanley Walker, who are both students at Aylesbury College and train in Berkhamsted, have been selected for the Virtus Oceania Asia Games in Brisbane to represent Great Britain as part of the GB Judo Adaptive Team.

Alongside them will be Matthew Rush, a teacher at Chiltern Way Academy in Wendover, who will be joining them as head coach.

Skye, from Aylesbury is no stranger to big Judo events. She is a double ID World and European Champion as well as a Special Olympic Gold medalist. She has been doing judo from the age of seven-years-old and now trains at Rushjudo Club based in Berkhamsted.

Stanley, from Hemel Hempstead, who also trains at Rushjudo, is a newcomer to the British Team. He has been called up from recent form, winning gold at The Adaptive Judo British Open and The Adaptive British School Judo Championships.

Matthew, who is also from Aylesbury, has been selected as the British Team Head Coach. Matthew has years of experience working with children and young adults with adaptive needs. He currently teaches at Chiltern Way Academy, a SEND School that has recently gained outstanding status from Ofsted, as well as coaching one of the largest Adaptive Judo classes in the country at Rushjudo.

Matthew said, “Skye and Stanley are part of a nine player team that has been selected. They have worked extremely hard, especially with the disruption of the Covid pandemic. I am immensely proud of them and very much looking forward to coaching The British Adaptive Team at such a big international event.”

The British Judo Adaptive Team is completely self-funded. In order for the selected players to compete in this International competition they and their families have been raising funds through a Just Giving crowd funding page at www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/adaptive-judo?utm_term=qwVy7ZVJ5

The Virtus Oceania and Asia Games is a multi-sport event, that is expecting hundreds of athletes, from more than 25 nations. It is taking place from 5th-11th November with Judo scheduled to take place on Monday, November 7.