Judo star Emma targets World Championship glory

2 hours ago

Tom WilliamsBBC Sport, Hertfordshire, Royston

News image — Emma Reid, in white, retained her Commonwealth judo title beating Australia's Maria Swan in the women's -78kg category in August

Getty Images Emma Reid wearing white and Maria Swan in blue are judo fighting on the floor. Emma has Maria in an arm lock on her way to winning Commonwealth judo gold. — Emma Reid, in white, retained her Commonwealth judo title beating Australia's Maria Swan in the women's -78kg category in August

British judoka Emma Reid already boasts one World Championship medal - now the 31-year-old hopes to upgrade the bronze she won two years ago to gold in Azerbaijan next month.

Reid, who grew up in Royston, Hertfordshire, will also use the event to step up her bid to qualify for the LA Olympics in two years' time.

She defended her Commonwealth title in August, describing her victory as the "ultimate feeling" in her father's home city of Glasgow.

The athlete is part of Team GB's 12-strong judo squad heading to Baku.

Tom Williams/BBC Emma Reid standing in front a British flag at the home of British Judo in Walsall. She's wearing a red British Judo top in the training hall with a yellow wall behind her. — Reid trains up to three times a day at the home of British Judo in Walsall

After taking up judo aged five, Reid's journey to the top is an unusual one. She has only been training full-time for 10 years.

But judo is in the blood.

"My mum and dad took me down to our local club in Royston," she told the BBC.

"I immediately loved it. When I outgrew the club, my dad would drive me an hour an a half to train in Redbridge (East London) every week.

Aged 18, Reid studied at Coventry University before becoming a full-time athlete at 21. She now lives and trains in Walsall, which is home to the headquarters of the British Judo Association.

She made her Olympic debut in Paris two years ago, where she reached the round of 32.

British Judo Team GB's squad heading to the world championships pose for a photograph in the gym in Walsall. The back row are all standing and wearing red tops. The front row are kneeling down and dressed in navy blue. There's a big British Judo sign painted on the wall behind. — Reid is part of Team GB's 12 athlete squad heading to the World Championships in Baku

Reid heads to the 2026 Baku World Senior Championships after an outstanding year and is one of the most in-form judoka in the British squad.

She secured the first European Championship medal of her career in April, winning silver in Tbilisi, Georgia, before going on to retain her Commonwealth crown.

She is in positive mood, as she bids for a second World Championship medal after coming third in Abu Dhabi in 2024.

"Going into the Commonwealth Games as the defending champion gave me more pressure," she said.

"A different type of feeling to the first one (Birmingham 2022) but I was so glad I was able to win gold.

"People don't see the journey and all the hard work that goes into it.

"It is great to know that despite the pressure, I could still perform and get results. It gives me great confidence."

Tom Williams/BBC Emma Reid wearing all blue Judo kit is fighting a male judoka wearing white in a big training hall in Walsall. Fellow British judokas are on the training mats behind them with pictures of former Olympic medallists on the wall behind. — Reid in action at the World Championship training camp in Walsall before flying to Baku

Reid trains five days a week, two to three times a day.

She admitted the squad did not really have an off-season. She is now at a World Championship training camp - alongside 11 other British athletes competing in Baku.

"I was a late developer and I wasn't that successful as a junior but since turning 21, I am proud of what I have achieved," she says.

"My body is holding up, so I can probably continue for a bit longer than some other people.

"I am excited for the next two years to see what I can do leading up to LA.

"I am fortunate that I have remained injury-free and have been able to train and compete almost non-stop, which has given me confidence and allowed me to build up consistency."

Tom Williams/BBC Emma Reid's parents, Iain and Lesley Reid at Melbourn Judo Club in Hertfordshire. Iain is wearing all blue and Lesley on the far right is in white with a black judo belt. A number of children at the club are taking part in a judo activity. — Emma's parents - Iain (left, wearing blue) and Lesley (far right, wearing white) have run Melbourn Judo Club in Hertfordshire for 15 years

Emma's parents, Iain and Lesley Reid, who introduced her to the sport, have run Melbourn Judo Club at Royston Leisure Centre for 15 years.

The pair teach 138 members - aged six to 72.

They also run a class for older adults, British Judo's Finding Your Feet initiative, in collaboration with the University of Hertfordshire and Anglia Ruskin University, which aims to improve balance and prevent fall-related injuries.

Lesley, 64, who won the 2025 Veterans World Judo Championships in the F7 -78kg category, said she was very proud of her daughter's achievements.

"It is hard to believe she has got as far as she has," she said.

"We are a small club here. She didn't come through the standard route that most people come through to get to world class level.

"She is a bit of an anomaly when it comes to judo successes but we are all thrilled for her."

Tom Williams/BBC Emma's mum Lesley pictured at Melbourn Judo Club with children training behind her. She's smiling to camera in her British judo white kit. There's a net to her left dividing the sports hall at Royston Leisure Centre in two with a basketball hoop on the wall behind. — Emma's mum Lesley became a Veteran Judo World Champion in Paris last year

Tom Williams/BBC Emma's dad Iain is tying a white judo belt on one of his pupils. He is kneeling down on the judo mat with his wife Lesley in the background coaching other students. Parents in the distance are looking at the class through the sports hall window. — Emma's dad Iain is the chief instructor and head coach at Melbourn Judo Club

Iain, 64, credited his daughter's resilience, adding: "She never gave up."

"She wasn't a funded athlete at university," he said.

"We wondered with university life and freshers' fairs and so on, whether judo might peter out, but she kept it ticking over and that resilience has helped her become a success.

"She always bounces back, works out what needs to be done and how to improve.

"It's why she is now an Olympian, plus a World, European and Commonwealth medallist, it is brilliant."

Tom Williams/BBC Emma's coach Colin Oates in the training hall in Walsall. Smiling at camera in his all-white British judo uniform. He's standing on red mats in front of the British flag on the wall of the gym. — Former Olympian Colin Oates from Norfolk is now an Olympic programme coach in Walsall

Qualification for LA 2028 will ramp up at the World Championships, where Reid will test herself against some of the world's leading judokas.

Colin Oates, who represented the British team at London 2012 and is now an Olympic programme coach, says Reid has what it takes to add to her tally of world medals.

"She has won one before. She definitely has it in her to perform on the biggest of stages," he said.

"But judo is such a tough sport given the quality out there. If her head's in the right place, she has every chance of winning a medal again."

"I have short and long term dreams," Reid says.

"I always wanted a World medal, I got that. I wanted a European medal, I got that. I also wanted to go to the Olympics.

"I have been ticking off my goals along my journey.

"Can I add my name to the list of past British winners? I would love that," she said.