Martial law for Games judo hopes

NEWCASTLE’S Daniel Villani and the rest of Australia’s judo team only just made the weigh-in to compete at the Commonwealth Youth Games after a travel ordeal of 40 hours reaching the Bahamas.

A late airline departure out of Brisbane on Sunday snowballed into the entire 75-strong Australian squad being unable to catch their Los Angeles-Miami connection.

The rapid change of plans split the team into smaller groups for onward travel or overnight stays in LA.

Villani, 15, keeps a fourleafed clover in his judo bag and he needed it for good luck because Monday’s late arrival meant a scramble to get to the official weigh-in.

Oddly, the seven-strong judo team starts and finishes competition today before the opening ceremony is even staged in the 15,000-seat Thomas Robinson Stadium when the day’s humid heat eases.

While less than ideal, the travel drama is all part of the toughening for the vagaries of international sport that made the Commonwealth Youth Games such a valuable venture for up-and-coming athletes in the first place.