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13 Apr 2023 | |
Written by Elliott O'Callaghan | |
General |
Young British Judoka Seeks Support to Achieve Olympic Dream
David Tanios, a 17-year-old Judoka from Irby, Wirral, is seeking support to help him achieve his dream of competing in the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
David started his Judo journey when he was 10 years old and has since then been training tirelessly to achieve his dream. He is now approaching the beginning of his under 21 career, which is a vital stage of his journey as it indicates future success in the sport. The first major step in this vocation is to start competing in European Cups, which are hosted every month by the European Judo Union.
Competing in these cups will provide David with a world ranking that will affect seedings for future competitions, where a better seeding will increase the likelihood of a higher placing. However, each European cup can cost around £400-£800, which is too large a sum for David and his family to afford on their own.
After placing in the top 5 in one of these events, David could potentially qualify for the under 18 European or World championships toward the end of the year, which would be a good stepping stone into his under 21 career.
David has already achieved notable results, including being ranked No. 1 in the UK under 18 ranking list as of 1st December 2022, winning bronze at the British Championships under 18 in 2019 and 2021, and winning gold at the Welsh Open under 18 in 2022.
David says, "Great Britain has never had an Olympic gold medal in the sport of Judo, and I believe I can be the first to achieve this goal. Any contributions you make towards my career would be greatly appreciated and is almost imperative for me to be able to compete outside of the UK."
To support David in his journey to the Olympics, please visit his GoFundMe page at https://gofund.me/48da7fd3