Cowdenbeath judo prodigy wins Commonwealth gold
A COWDENBEATH judo star has become a champion of the Commonwealth after starring for his country earlier this month.
James Rutherford, a pupil at Beath High School, travelled to Malta to compete in the 2024 Commonwealth Judo Championships and returned home with a gold medal.
The 15-year-old, who trains with Destination Judo Club, was one of 16 judoka representing Scotland and he claimed glory in the under-55kg cadet category.
Last year, James moved up from pre-cadets to the cadets age group, for those aged between 15-17, and picked up bronze medals at the Welsh Pre Cadet and Cadet Open 2023, the JudoScotland Scottish National Closed Championships, the Scottish Open tournament and the English Open.
There were originally five judoka due to compete in his category, but two pulled out with injuries, which saw him take on opponents from England and South Africa.
Undeterred by them holding a height advantage, James firstly faced England’s
Ethan Watkin, and earned a win inside 27 seconds, before going up against South Africa’s Dylan Roux.
He claimed victory, and gold, in two minutes and 35 seconds, with both of his successes coming by uchi mata, which is not one of his trademark moves.
The talented teenager stated that he was “very proud to have represented JudoScotland” at the competition and was “very chuffed” with both his own performance, and those of his fellow Scots who came home with medals.
His proud dad Alex thanked Cllr Alex Campbell, convener of the Cowdenbeath area committee, and Fife Council for sponsoring James for the event.
He added: “As always, myself and Michelle, as parents, are very proud of his achievements and he pushes and strives for perfection with each match.”
James’ medal success continued at the weekend when he competed at the Northern Ireland Open.
Competing in both the cadets and juniors (under-21), as he is aiming to gain points for his black belt, he won under55kg gold in both categories.
Anybody who is interested in sponsoring James on his judo journey can contact the Times and we’ll put you in touch.