JUDO NEW ZEALAND

Sydnee Andrews (GIS WB) has made NZL Judo history by winning a bronze medal at the IJF Zagreb Grand Prix over the weekend. This is the first time that a New Zealand judoka has made the podium at an IJF Tour event since the tour was established.

The second bronze medal contest saw 20 year old Sydnee take on Camara (FRA), after defeating Morillo (DOM) in their repechage match to cap an impressive day. The match was a fiery encounter, with Andrews pushing forward aggressively from the first “hajime.” Camara picked up two shidos and the New Zealander saw her moment; she countered the French fighter’s o-uchi-gari, flattening her with ko-soto-gake for ippon.

After receiving her medal, Andrews said, “I am grateful and humble to have these opportunities and although it was a challenge to get through the day without a coach, I had my teammate Moira (Koster) here and she made a big difference. I’m looking forward to using this as a platform for our country’s judo future."

Massive congratulations to Syd as she is building nicely for Olympic qualification.