Graeme Randall, MBE (born 14 March 1975) is a former world champion Scottish judoka. He competed at the 1996 Summer Olympics and the 2000 Summer Olympics, and won gold medals in the 81 kg division at both the 1999 World Judo Championships and 2002 Commonwealth Games.[1][2]
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nationality | British (Scottish) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 14 March 1975 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Occupation | Judoka | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Judo | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight class | –81 kg | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Profile at external databases | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| IJF | 53200 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| JudoInside.com | 2331 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Biography
editRandalls judo career started at the early age of 12 and three years later he was awarded his black belt. Randall was educated at Lasswade High School, Midlothian. By the age of 19 he had become the Junior European Champion and won the Junior World bronze medal in the same year, while studying at the University of Edinburgh, where he completed a degree in Physical Education.[3][4] In 1996, he was selected for Great Britain to compete at the Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia. Competing in the -78kg division, he lost his first round match and failed to progress any further. The following year in 1997, he finished fifth at the 1997 World Judo Championships.[1]
In 1996, he won his first Scottish National Championship and in 1998 he became champion of Great Britain, winning the half-middleweight division at the British Judo Championships.[5] The following year in 1999 he won a world title after winning the gold medal in the 81 kg division at the 1999 World Judo Championships. He became Scotland’s first World Judo Champion.[1]
The 1999 success made him a certain selection for the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney. He fought in the -81kg division but was eliminated in his second match.[1] In 2001, he won his second British Championship and third Scottish national title.[5] At the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester, representing Scotland he claimed the gold medal in the -81 kg division.
In 2002 he announced his retirement from the sport. Graeme was awarded an MBE in 2001 for his services to judo, and in recognition of his outstanding level of competitive performance, was awarded the prestigious honour of the sixth Dan. He is Scotland’s most successful judoka, he became one of the youngest players to be awarded the grade.[4]
Randall was inducted into the Scottish Sports Hall of Fame in March 2010.[6] He was the second male from Great Britain to hold a world title in judo. He was also seen in the STV series of Coached Off The Couch.
Achievements
edit| Year | Tournament | Place | Weight class |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | World Judo Championships | 5th | Half middleweight (78 kg) |
| 1998 | European Judo Championships | 5th | Half middleweight (81 kg) |
| 1999 | European Judo Championships | 3rd | Half middleweight (81 kg) |
| 1999 | World Judo Championships | 1st | Half middleweight (81 kg) |
| 2001 | World Judo Championships | 5th | Half middleweight (81 kg) |
| 2002 | Commonwealth Games | 1st | Half middleweight (81 kg) |
References
edit- ^ a b c d "Graeme Randall profile". Judo Inside. Retrieved 16 August 2022.
- ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Graeme Randall Olympic Results". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 2 June 2018.
- ^ "Graeme Randall". Gazetteer for Scotland. Retrieved 19 January 2020.
- ^ a b "Graeme Randall, MBE". Sportscotland.org.uk. Archived from the original on 2 December 2013. Retrieved 5 November 2014.
- ^ a b "British Championships – Event results". Judo Inside. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
- ^ "Six sporting legends honoured in Scottish Sports Hall of Fame". Scottish Sports Hall of Fame. 16 March 2010. Archived from the original on 23 July 2011. Retrieved 17 August 2010.
External links
edit- Graeme Randall at the International Judo Federation
- Graeme Randall at JudoInside.com
- Graeme Randall at Olympics.com
- Graeme Randall at Olympedia
- Graeme Randall at the Commonwealth Games Federation (archived)
- Graeme Randall at the Scottish Sports Hall of Fame
