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Gold and silver medals for UEL students at judo championships

Friday 27 January 2012

Sophie Cox (image supplied by British Judo Association)

Two of UEL’s leading elite scholarship athletes and Team GB hopefuls for this summer’s London 2012 Games got an early taste of medal success at the British Closed Judo Championships

Competing at last weekend’s championships in Sheffield, Sophie Cox, who represented Great Britain at the 2004 Athens Olympics, came away with a gold medal after she got the better of her opponents in the -52kg category, while Gemma Gibbons was awarded a silver medal for her superb performance in the -70kg category.

This event marks the last domestic competition before Olympic selection, although there will be more competitions abroad. Both participants are strong contenders for Olympic selection in their respective categories.

Speaking in response to last weekend’s medal haul for UEL students, Elizabeth Egan, High Performance Sport Manager said:  “It's nice to see that judo is really taking off at UEL and that Sophie and Gemma are still very much in the running for the London 2012 Games. At the same time, we also have Szandra Szogedi who is a strong contender for the Ghanaian team.

“This clearly shows UEL is attracting elite judo competitors and that we are making a serious claim to become the number one university for sport in London by 2015.”

Sophie Cox said: “This is my sixth British title, but it means a lot to have a solid start to the year. I feel confident now that I am ready to tackle the challenges of the coming months with the aim being to reach my peak by the start of the Olympics.”

Kleovoulos Loucaides, who is also an elite scholarship athlete, picked up a silver medal at the recent Cyprus Senior Judo Championships.

Sophie Cox is currently studying for an MSc in Strength and Conditioning and Gemma Gibbons is study for her MSc in Exercise Science and Health.

Notes to Editors

The University of East London (UEL) is a global learning community with over 28,000 students from over 120 countries world-wide. Our vision is to achieve recognition, both nationally and internationally, as a successful and inclusive regional university proud of its diversity, committed to new modes of learning which focus on students and enhance their employability, and renowned for our contribution to social, cultural and economic development, especially through our research and scholarship. We have a strong track-record in widening participation and working with industry.

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