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Chelsie Giles

Chelsie Giles, Antalya Grand Slam Silver

written by Hugh

On the opening day of the Antalya Grand Slam, Chelsie Giles claimed a silver medal to add to the
gold medals she won at the Tel Aviv Grand Slam and Portugal Grand Prix earlier this year.

Giles lived up to her world number one ranking as she comfortably progressed through her opening
three contests to win her pool and progress to the semi-finals. Following an opening round bye, Giles
defeated Ariane Toro Soler (ESP) and Gultaj Mammadaliyeva (AZE) courtesy of her trademark ne-
waza before a quarter-final victory against Sofia Asvesta (CYP).

Giles started the semi-final in relentless fashion, launching attack after attack onto her opponent,
Sita Kadamboeva (UZB). Giles took her opponent to ground early in the contest and came close to
registering a score. In the following exchange, Kadamboeva was disqualified for a head dive,
progressing Giles to the final to face a familiar opponent, Olympic silver medallist Amandine Buchard
(FRA).

The final was another tense affair, just like the previous five encounters between the pair, and with
the contest looking certain to head to Golden Score, Buchard registered a waza-ari score moments
before the buzzer sounded to end the 4-minute contest.

The score was enough to see Buchard win the gold, meaning Giles had to settle for silver, but does
maintain her 100% record of making the final at her last 5 competitions.

1st April 2023 0 comment

Judo

Giles and Smythe-Davis bag medals on opening day of Portugal Grand Prix

written by Hugh

On the opening day of the Portugal Grand Prix in Almada, Chelsie Giles (Coventry JC; Simon Moss)
and Nekoda Smythe-Davis (Ealing Judo Club; Jo Crowley) both started 2023 in medal winning form.
World number one Giles won the first Grand Prix title of her career as she claimed gold in the -52kg
category, whilst Smythe-Davis, who was competing in her first Grand Prix event since 2019,
following the birth of her daughter in 2021, won bronze in the -57kg category.

Giles, whose best performances at Grand Prix level have seen her win a silver and two bronze
medals, defeated Rebeka Keller (HUN) in Round 2 following an opening round bye. Giles threw her
opponent for waza-ari score before transitioning into the osaekomi hold down for ippon score.
Giles booked her place in the Quarter Finals with a third-round victory against Maria Siderot (POR).
Giles again trusted in her trademark newaza to progress to face Sita Kadamboeva (UZB).

Giles capitalised on her opponent going to ground and pinned her opponent with an osaekomi hold
down for ippon score to win her Pool and progress to the Semi-Finals.
Giles showed in the Semi-Final that she can also throw her opponents as she dispatched Ana Perez
Box (ESP) with a great change of direction to book her place in the final in what was arguably the
‘ippon of the day’.

Giles faced 2020 European Championship bronze medallist Estrella Lopez Sheriff (ESP) in the final.
With nothing between the pair the contest entered Golden Score where in the opening exchange,
Giles registered an uchi-mata to throw her opponent for ippon score.
Smythe-Davis overcame a potentially tricky first contest with ease as she defeated 6th seed Vera
Zemanova (CZE) in Round 2, following an opening round bye. Zemanova picked up three penalty
shidos to lose the contest.

Smythe-Davis continued her impressive form to defeat Anastasiia Chyzhevska (UKR) and 4th seed
Marica Perisic (SRB) to win her Pool and book her place in the Semi-Finals to face number 2 seed
Mimi Huh (KOR).

Huh started the Semi-Final the stronger of the two judoka and caught Smythe-Davis in the opening
15-seconds and threw her for ippon score. The defeat saw Smythe-Davis progress to the bronze
medal contest where she defeated Nilufar Ermaganbetova (UZB) to secure her place on the podium.

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28th January 2023 0 comment

Judo

CHELSIE GILES ENDS 2022 WITH MASTERS SILVER

written by Hugh

Chelsie Giles (Coventry; Simon Moss) rounded off a fantastic 2022 by taking silver at the IJF Judo Masters on the opening day of competition in Jerusalem.

2022 has seen Giles add the European title and a World Championship silver medal to her 2020 Tokyo Olympic bronze medal.

Competing in the -52kg category, following an opening round bye, Giles defeated Katelyn Jarrell (USA) in Round 2. Giles countered a Jarrell attack for waza-ari score before transitioning into newaza to pin her opponent for ippon.

Giles faced a familiar opponent in the Quarter-Final as the contest was a repeat of the European Final as she faced Amandine Buchard (FRA).

Giles progressed to the Semi-Final after Buchard was disqualified via a handsoku-make for attacking against a straight arm.

In the Semi-Final, Giles faced fellow Tokyo Olympic bronze medallist, Odette Giuffrida (ITA) for a place in the Final. With nothing between the pair, the contest entered Golden Score where Giles forced Giuffrida to the ground and deployed her trademark newaza to register a waza-ari score to progress to the Final.

-48kg Tokyo Olympic Champion, Distria Krasniqi (KOS), who has seamlessly stepped up to the -52kg category, stood between Giles and gold. The final started at 100mph with both fighters wanting to get the upper hand. Giles was caught in the opening 30-seconds for a waza-ari score – a score that remained the only difference between the two judoka as the 4-minutes elapsed.

The result saw Giles claim silver, her first medal at the World Masters and a fantastic way to round off what has been a stellar 2022 for the Coventry Judo Club judoka.

In the -57kg category, Lele Nairne (Bradley Stoke; Pete Douglas) defeated Jessica Lima (BRA) in the opening round. Nairne registered a waza-ari score as the contest entered the final minute before picking up a second shido with just 30-seconds remaining. Nairne defended against Lima attacks and in the closing seconds, countered an attack to register a second waza-ari score to win the contest.

Nairne booked her place in the Quarter-Finals after her opponent, Ozlem Yildiz (TUR), was awarded a handsoku make.

Nairne was defeated by Chen-Ling Lien (TPE) in the Quarter-Finals meaning she progressed to the Repechage to face Olympic Champion, Nora Gjakova (KOS). Nairne conceded a waza-ari as the contest entered the final 90-seconds before an uchi-mata by Gjakova registered an ippon score to progress to the bronze medal contest. The defeat saw Nairne finish in 7^th on her Judo Masters debut.

Elsewhere in the -57kg category, Acelya Toprak (Metro JC/ Relentless Judo; Darren Hawney/ Fitzroy Davies) was defeated by 7^th seed Mimi Huh (KOR) in her opening round contest.

Tomorrow sees Lucy Rensall (SKK; Pete Blood), Kelly Petersen-Pollard (Hardy Spicer; Fitzroy Davies) and Lachlan Moorhead (Sheffield JC; Matt Moorhead) in action.

Preliminary Round action starts at 09:00am (GMT) with Final Block scheduled to commence at 15:00.

You can watch all the action from the Judo Masters LIVE at live.ijf.org each day.

20th December 2022 0 comment

Judo

Chelsie Giles rises to the top of the world rankings

written by Hugh

Chelsie Giles becomes the latest British judoka to top the judo world rankings as she rises to the top
of the -52kg category.

It is the first time in history that British Judo has topped the world rankings in two weight categories
as Giles joins -63kg judoka, Lucy Renshall in ruling the world!

Giles has enjoyed a medal-laden last 3 years. Following winning European Championship bronze at
the Minsk European Games in 2019 she has gone on to win 6 IJF World Tour medals, including gold
at the 2021 Tel Aviv Grand Slam, before securing a bronze medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.
Earlier this year Giles improved upon her European bronze medal to win gold at the European
Championships in Sofia before joining an illustrious group of British judoka by adding a World
Championship silver medal to her haul.

Speaking after receiving the news of her new world ranking, Giles said: “It’s amazing to be world
number one. It’s great to see all the years of hard work in training paying off. I have to say a massive
thanks to the support team around me, as I would not be here without them helping me.
“I am always looking to reach higher goals, so whilst I am so happy to have achieved this, I am
already looking forward towards the final competition of the year – the Judo World Masters.”
British Judo Senior Women’s Performance Coach, Jamie Johnson said: “A huge congratulations to
Chelsie on becoming British Judo’s latest world number one. To have two judoka at the top of the
world rankings is outstanding.

“The performances we see today are a result of years of hard work and dedication by the entire team
both on and off the mat. It is that consistency over the years that has led to this moment.
“I have to say a huge thank you to the support team that have helped Chelsie, and Lucy, in achieving
this achievement. From the backing of the National Lottery and UK Sport to the team at the
University of Wolverhampton for giving the team access to world-class training facilities that enable
our judoka to achieve incredible performances consistently.”

British Judo Performance Director, Nigel Donohue added: “Following last week’s Abu Dhabi
Grand Slam gold medal-winning performance, Lucy Renshall retained her world no.1 status
and today, following the updated IJF world rankings, we now have a second GB judoka in the
British Judo Olympic programme ranked No.1 in the world, in Chelsie Giles.

“Chelsie never ceases to amaze. A European, World and Olympic medallist and now world
no1. To be ranked world number 1 in your chosen sport is a fantastic achievement and we
are all extremely proud of both Lucy and Chelsie for achieving this incredible milestone. Both
the -52kg and -63kg weight categories are arguably the most fiercely competitive weight
categories in world judo at the moment, so for Chelsie and Lucy to have the success they
have had at this stage of their careers, is a testament to their dedication and hard work and
all the hard work of the British Judo staff that support the team day in, day out.

“The challenge now for Chelsie and Lucy is to retain this ranking throughout the Paris
Olympic qualification cycle, though if past performances are anything to go by, I have no
doubt that they will only continue to improve and lead their respective weight categories.”

1st November 2022 0 comment

Judo

Chelsie Giles Becomes European Champion

written by Hugh

Chelsie Giles claimed her first major title as she added the European crown to her Olympic bronze
medal in Tokyo on the opening day of the European Championships in Sofia.
Following an opening round bye, Giles overcame a tricky opening round contest against Aleksandra
Kaleta (POL). The contest entered Golden Score where Giles unleashed her trademark newaza to
book her place in the Quarter-Finals.
Giles booked her place in the Semi-Finals following a hard fought 8-minute contest against 2x
Olympic medallist Odette Giuffrida (ITA). Giles countering a Giuffrida attack, turning her for waza-ari
score.
If the opening two contests were a battle of endurance, the Semi-Final was all about strength and
power. It took Giles just 90 seconds to defeat Mascha Ballhaus (GER) to secure her place in the Final.
Giles displayed some excellent newaza to progress to the Final Block to face world number one,
Amandine Buchard (FRA).
There was nothing between the two fighters at the end of the mandatory 4-minutes and the contest
entered Golden Score. Two shidos either side of Golden Score put Giles onto the backfoot. An
onslaught of Buchard attacks followed, which Giles defended well before the scorecard was evened
up at 2 shidos each.
Giles adds gold in Sofia to the bronze she won at the European Games in 2019.
A speechless Giles couldn’t quite believe what she had achieved: “I cannot believe it. It’s so
overwhelming, I think it will take a while to fully sink in.”
Giles has faced Buchard on three previous occasions, with the French fighter coming out on top an
all three occasions. Speaking about what she has changed this time, Giles said: “I have spent a lot of
time studying those losses to see what I did well and where I can improve. Jamie and I worked on a
plan and I am so happy it paid off today.”
“I am looking forward to having some time off now and enjoy the moment before the hard work
starts for the remainder of the season.”

2nd May 2022 0 comment

Judo

Silver for Giles on the Opening Day of the Tbilisi Grand Slam

written by Hugh

On the opening day of the Tbilisi Grand Slam, Chelsie Giles continued her incredible recent form in claiming silver.

Giles, who won gold at the Tel Aviv Grand Slam on her last outing, was seeded 3rd in Tbilisi and she certainly lived up to expectation, winning her Pool, defeating Joana Diogo (POR), Djamila Silva (CPV)
and Angelica Delgado (USA), all by ippon score.

In the semi-final she defeated Larissa Pimenta (BRA) with two waza-ari scores to progress to the final and face Olympic silver medallist Odette Giuffrida (ITA).

The final was a tense affair with nothing between the two fighters until the contest neared the 10- minute mark and Chelsie was awarded a third penalty shido, handing victory, and the gold medal, to
Giuffrida.

26th March 2021 0 comment

Judo

Giles shines gold in Tel Aviv

written by Hugh

Chelsie Giles had one of the best performances of her career as she defeated the current Olympic Champion in the semi-final before claiming gold on the opening day of the Tel Aviv Grand Slam.

There may have only been two British Judo fighters in action on the opening day, with Ashley McKenzie joining Giles, but it was certainly a day that will live long in the memory of British Judo fans.

Competing in the -52kg category, 2019 European Games bronze medallist Giles’ best performance at a Grand Slam event came back in 2019 when she won bronze in Abu Dhabi.

Giles produced some excellent newaza to defeat Gefen Primo (ISR) in Golden Score of the opening round before going on to defeat Fabienne Kocher (SUI) by ippon score in round 2; a quick change of direction by the Brit enough to throw her opponent. In the quarter-final, Giles defeated Reka Pupp (HUN) in Golden Score to set up semi-final match against the current Olympic Champion Majlinda Kelmendi (KOS). Again, the contest entered Golden Score where Giles produced the throw of her career to defeat the Olympic Champion and book her place in the final.

Not content with defeating the Olympic Champion, Giles then caused another upset, defeating home favourite Gili Cohen (ISR) in the final to claim gold. Giles, who is so dominant in her ground work, held her opponent in sangaku gatame for the mandatory 20 seconds to win by ippon score and claim her first Grand Slam gold medal.

Speaking after the competition, Chelsie said: “Today was amazing. I knew training had gone well since the Masters, but it’s only when you step onto the mat and compete that you can really see how that training has gone.”

“I felt strong during warm up at the start of the day and went into each fight believing I could win.”

“I am so happy with my performance, to beat the Olympic Champion and win my first Grand Slam gold medal is fantastic.”

“Today has been the best day that I have ever felt fighting. I can take great confidence from today going into my upcoming competitions and I hope I can continue performing at this level consistently.”

Nigel Donohue, British Judo Performance Director said: “This was a complete performance. Chelsie looked very composed all day with a fantastic display of attacking judo winning every contest by ippon. The fight with Kelmendi (Olympic Champion) was world class. Chelsie was competitive in every gripping exchange, never panicked and matched the Olympic Champion every step of the way. The throw to win the match was both spectacular and outstanding given that Kelmendi is one of the best female fighters in world judo and rarely loses a contest and if she does, it’s only to the very best.”

“I thought in the final against the home favourite, Chelsie kept her nerve, weathered the early frantic pace by Cohen and gradually took control of the fight. The transition into the Newaza hold down was extremely fast and a great example of taking her training mat work hard work into a competition performance.”

Jamie Johnson, British Judo Performance Coach said: “This is the best I’ve seen Chelsie fight; we have been working hard since the Masters and it was great to see that pay off today.

“We know there is still room for improvement, but this performance can be a springboard to really kickstart the year as we head towards Tokyo.

“Chelsie can take great confident knowing that she beat some world class fighters today and of course beating the Olympic champion was a bonus.”

Ashley McKenzie (-60kg) equalled his best performance in Tel Aviv finishing 5^th and narrowly missing out on a medal.

McKenzie defeated former European U23 bronze medallist Karamat Huseynov (AZE) in the opening round by two waza-ari scores before showing his experience in the second-round defeating Nicolae Foca (MDA) by forcing his opponent to concede three penalty shidos.

In the quarter-final McKenzie was defeated by Temur Nozadze (GEO), the Georgian registering two waza-ari scores, meaning McKenzie progressed to the Repechage.

McKenzie defeated Albert Oguzov (RUS) by two waza-ari scores to set up a bronze medal match against former European U23 Champion Ramazan Abdulaev (RUS).

The bronze medal match was closely contested between the two fighters, but it was the Russian who managed to score a waza-ari score and transitioned to juji gatame forcing McKenzie to tap out and concede the contest.

Tomorrow is the busiest day from a British Judo perspective with 6 fighters in action.

Eric Ham (-73kg), drawn in Pool A, will face former Pan American Champion Eduardo Barbosa (BRA) in the opening round.

Stuart McWatt (-81kg) has an opening round bye and will face Iura Sveinbjorg (ISL) in the second round.

Amy Livesey (-63kg) has an opening round bye and will await the victor of the opening round match between Stefania-Adelina Dobre (ROU) and Iolanta Berdybekova (KAZ).

Lucy Renshall (-63kg) will face Isabel Puche (ESP) in her opening round match.

Gemma Howell (-70kg) faces former World Junior Champion Szabina Gercsak (HUN) in the opening round.

2019 European Junior Champion, Kelly Petersen-Pollard (-70kg), makes her Grand Slam debut in Tel Aviv. Drawn in Pool A, she faces former European U23 Championships bronze medallist Minel Akdeniz (TUR) in the opening round.

Action on Friday starts at 8:30am (GMT) with Final Block scheduled to commence at 15:00 (GMT).

British Judo will bring you a recap of how all your British fighters perform each day and you can follow the action on the British Judo social media channels. You can also watch the action live on the British Judo homepage.

18th February 2021 0 comment