Chorley teen with Asperger’s selected to represent the UK in judo at Virtus Games in Australia – Lancashire Evening Post

Joshuha Hodkinson, 18, who was diagnosed with Asperger's five year's ago, was inspired to take up the sport after he lost an 'uphill' battle with his sister Chloe, 17, and will now attend the Virtus Ocenia Asia Games 2022 next month in Brisbane.

The sporting event, which will take place from November 5-11, is an international multi-sport competition for elite athletes with an intellectual impairment.

Competing in various competitions, Joshuha has given his Asperger's a kick to rise up the judo ranks, collecting numerous awards as he goes.

He said: "I first started at Trowbridge Budokwai in 2012 as my dad encouraged me to start a sport as my sister Chloe and I fought on a nearby hill called the White Horse and she beat me up!

"So from a few weeks after that, I started judo and haven't stopped.

"I have competed an uncountable amount of times, some notable titles I have had is, Ben van der Eng (BENG) Adaptive World Judo Games champion three years in a row.

"It was cancelled in 2020/21 due to Covid - so I won in 2022, 2019 and 2018.

"I have also been Adaptive British Champion multiple times and Adaptive British Schools Champion also.

"Judo allows me to forget whatever has happened in the day, and allows me to clear my mind by focussing on doing judo.

"I enjoy learning new techniques and trying them when we do randori - sparring in judo."

When not training for upcoming competitions at SKK Judo Club with trainer Peter Blood, the former Southlands High School pupil also works at Duce Accountants Firm in Chorley.

Joshuha, who also trains at Beach Judokwai under the guidance of coach Joe Burns, added: "I am very excited to compete for Great Britain officially for the first time and being able to have the opportunity to represent my country on an international scale.

"I would like to thank Peter Blood who is my trainer at SKK and Kerry Tansey who has arranged monthly national training sessions at the Walsall centre of excellence, letting us train with experienced judoka - people who do judo such as Bronze medalist paralympian Ben Quilter and others.

"I would like to continue to compete for Great Britain, there is another competition in Paris in 2023 that I would like to work towards also."

Being athletically talented clearly runs in the family as sister Chloe Baker is also an avid judoka and she has recently attained her black belt.

She was also one of the youngest to compete in the Junior category at the Judo European Cup in May.

From fighting on a hill to both collecting numerous awards, the rest, as they say, is - judo!

A GofundMe page for the team has been set up help finance The Great British Adaptive Judo Team compete in future International Judo Championships.

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Chorley teen with Asperger's selected to represent the UK in judo at Virtus Games in Australia - Lancashire Evening Post