The University of Birmingham’s Rhys Thompson and Lachlan Moorehead have both earned places in England’s Commonwealth Games judo squad.
The two judokas have been fantastic athletes over the past few years on the UK stage, and will both welcome the challenge brought by Commonwealth Games judo.
With both athletes studying in Birmingham, it will be a familiar backdrop, and both will be competing as hard as each other to come out on top on home soil.
Rhys Thompson
Thompson has had a turbulent past few years. Having won his first senior national title in 2018, he underwent knee surgery just a year later. This disruption to training, as well as implications on strength and conditioning, have made his journey to the Commonwealth Games even harder. He will be competing in the 100kg weight class and will hope to come home with a strong result against some fierce competition.
With the COVID-19 Pandemic, Thompson was able to take some time to regroup. After the void of competition during the heights of lockdown, he came back stronger than ever to take the title of British Champion in December 2021.
These past few years have not been easy for Thompson, but his successes on the national stage certainly put him in good stead for the Commonwealth Games judo competition. He will be competing in the 100kg weight class and will hope to come home with a strong result against some fierce competition.
Lachlan Moorhead
Moorhead has had a very strong junior career and has also managed to carry this momentum into the senior divisions. An early highlight was taking home gold at the British Championships in 2017, as well as a bronze at the Commonwealth Youth Games.
At the British Championships in 2019, he had to settle for a silver medal, but also came away with a bronze at the Junior European Championships in the same year. Similarly to Thompson, however, Moorhead’s progress was somewhat challenged by the lack of competition during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Also in a similar vein to Thompson, however, Moorhead hit the ground running after a reversion to partial normality. Taking home gold at the British Championships in 2021 to end his first year as a senior was certainly a highlight.
Being selected for the Commonwealth Games judo squad is the most significant achievement of Moorhead’s illustrious career so far. He will hope to continue his medal magnetism at the games, as well as gaining some vital experience against some of the toughest opponents he has faced yet in the 81kg weight class.