Published: 25 July, 2013
by CHARLIE TALBOT-SMITH

JUDOKA John Jayne (pictured) would be the first to admit he wasn’t at his best recently when he competed at the European Youth Olympic Festival, which was held in the Netherlands.

After scooping a bronze medal, John, a member of Moberly Judo Club, insisted that there is plenty of room for improvement.

Competing in the minus-90kg weight category, he was handed a bye in the first round and faced Georgian Giorgi Gvelesiani in the second, which he won by a single wazari.

In his quarter-final against Italian Davide Pozzi the 16-year-old scored a yuko with just one second left on the clock to progress to the semi-finals in Utrecht.

Despite coming unstuck against Finland’s Martti Puumalainen in the last four of the competition, he refocused to seal bronze by ippon against Portugal’s Pedro Silva.

John couldn’t hide his delight as he scooped a medal for the British team despite performing below the standard he expects of himself. “It feels great,” he said. “I was not performing well in my first three fights but I spoke to my coaches and I had a talk to myself.

“I’m so happy to have got a medal and turned it round in the end. I came prepared for the bronze match, so to get the medal is good.

“My coach told me he had come a long way and he hadn’t made the trip to see me fight badly, so I’m glad I turned it around.

“I was lucky to get to the semi-final considering I was nowhere near my best, and I should have done much better against the Finnish boy. But to get a medal at the end is lovely.”

John was part of a 44-strong British team and, after his first taste of an Olympic experience and pulling on the Team GB kit, he admitted his time in Utrecht had made him hungrier for the real thing.

“It was a great week for me,” he added. “I met some good people and I hope it has helped prepare me for a real Olympics in the future.

“I still have the World Championships in Miami next month as well, so I will go back home and train hard and hopefully I can bring a gold back from America.”

The British Olympic Association prepares and leads British athletes at the summer, winter and youth Olympic Games.

It works in partnership with sport National Governing Bodies to enhance Olympic success and is responsible for championing the Olympic values. For further details visit www.teamgb.com