A 26-year-old judo champion who trains at Bradley Stoke Judo Club is set to achieve a childhood dream by representing Team GB at this summer’s Olympic Games in Paris.
Lele Nairne, born and raised in Weston-super-Mare, has been attending the club at Bradley Stoke Active Lifestyle Centre, part of Circadian Trust’s suite of Active Lifestyle Centres, for more than half her life.
She says her success on the international stage has been down to the belief shown in her at the club and her 18 years of commitment through relentless training.
Lele is now one step closer to her Olympic goal and will compete in Paris on Monday 29th July 2024 in the 57kg weight category.
Lele, 26, said:
“To be heading to Paris is an incredible honour and a privilege. It’s also taken years of hard work to get to this point and it also takes a whole team of people to achieve it.”
“I’ve been hugely fortunate to have local organisations such as Circadian Trust and the team at Bradley Stoke Active Centre believe in my potential and support the ambitions we set at the Club.”
“There have been so many ups and downs and I’ve had to dig deep to keep focused but it has all been worth it to be up there competing with the world’s best judo athletes.”
“To be on this stage at the age of just 26 is so exciting and I really just can’t wait to get there.”
Lele will now have two more weeks of what is known as ‘tapering’, which is training but not as hard, before she leaves for Paris.
Pete Douglas, team coach at Bradley Stoke Judo Club, said:
“This really is what it’s all about. Community sport is where talent can really thrive, and we are very grateful to Circadian Trust for their ongoing support of the club.”
“Without being able to train at Bradley Stoke Active Leisure Centre we would not have been able to get the club up and running. So, to now have Lele take to the Olympic stage is acknowledgement of how important access to good facilities can be.”
“But, of course, she is an incredible judo player and has been a contender from the beginning, never giving up, never giving in despite some serious setbacks.”
“From her joining 18 years ago, she has now competed all over the world – from Sofia to Sarajevo, from Australia to Azerbaijan – and to now be travelling to the biggest arena in the world in Paris means at the age of 26 she should be super proud of herself.”
“And she has now inspired so many more people into the sport – so she’ll have a lot of fans cheering her on here in the West Country that’s for sure!”
The Olympic judo competition is set to take place between Saturday July 27th and Saturday August 3rd at the Arena Champ-de-Mars.
Mark Crutchley, CEO of Circadian Trust, said:
“We have seen many Olympic medals come back from the games from people who have used Active Lifestyle Centres in South Gloucestershire over the past 20 years.”
“So many elite sports people start their careers in their local community centres with the support of people like Pete and his amazing team at the Bradley Stoke Judo Club. We’ve followed Lele’s journey with interest and pride and are chuffed to bits to see her travel to Paris.”
“All of us at Circadian Trust wish her the very best of luck.”
How Lele fared
UPDATE added 29th July 2024.
From British Judo:
On the third day of judo action at the Paris Olympic Games, Lele Nairne was defeated in the opening round to 6th seed Eteri Liparteliani (GEO) in the -57kg category.
Read more: Tough day for Nairne in Paris
