Judo Championships
QE student, Jan Gosiewski, has just heard he has won a place in the British boys' judo squad. He's now part of the World Class Start Programme and will attend regular elite training sessions at a range of venues around the country.
Earlier this month he was lucky enough to get a wild card for entry into the British Judo Association Junior Championships at Stoke. He fought a series of hard fights in the 16/17 age group, won through to the final but was narrowly defeated in the closing minutes. Nevertheless, he did more than enough to get himself noticed by the selectors.
Jan's story is unusual. The 16-year-old now lives in Darlington but only came to the town in September when his family moved from Gdansk, Poland. At QE he is studying AS Levels in Maths, Physics, Chemistry, Biology and General Studies, and eventually hopes to go to university. He combines his demanding academic studies with a rigorous training regime. Jan explains:
'I train four nights a week on the mat - three nights at the Parks Club in North Shields and one night at Spennymoor - and also fit in general stamina training in the gym and swimming pool. I have to be very well organised to manage my time and sometimes do homework on the train going up to North Shields. It's hard work but do-able if you're committed.'
Judo has helped Jan settle in to his new life in this country and at College. He is now in training for the U20 trials which he hopes will lead to international competition.
November 19, 2004