Benjamin Karl Fletcher (born 13 March 1992) is a former
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies.
* British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...
and now
Irish judoka
is an unarmed gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art, combat sport, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyc ...
.
Judo career
As a junior, Fletcher won bronze at the 2011 World Junior Championships in Cape Town. He is a three times champion of Great Britain, winning the half-heavyweight division at the
British Judo Championships
The British Judo Championships are held annually and feature various age and weight categories to determine the British champion. The Championships are currently held at the English Institute of Sport, Sheffield.
Until 2013, the Championships ...
in 2013, 2014 and 2016.
In 2016, he was selected by Great Britain to compete at the
2016 Summer Olympics
The 2016 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad () and officially branded as Rio 2016, were an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with preliminary events i ...
in the
Men's -100 kg event, where he was defeated in his second round match.
In 2017, he changed his nationality to that of Ireland, after which he won the title at the 2017 ''Hong Kong Asian Open''. He started 2018 by winning gold at the
Tunis Grand Prix,
becoming the first Judoka representing Ireland to ever win an
IJF World Judo Tour event. He followed it up with more success that year taking silver at a prestigious Grand Slam event in Dussëldorf and bronze at the
Antalya Grand Prix.
Personal life
His sister
Megan Fletcher is also an international judoka.
References
External links
*
*
1992 births
Living people
Irish male judoka
Olympic judoka for Great Britain
Judoka at the 2016 Summer Olympics
European Games competitors for Great Britain
Judoka at the 2015 European Games
Judoka at the 2020 Summer Olympics
Olympic judoka for Ireland
Sportspeople from Reading, Berkshire
21st-century Irish sportsmen
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