McWatt wants mat finish
Inverurie judoka hopes for piece of the action at last in Birmingham
GLASGOW 2014 came around just too early for Stuart McWatt but the memories of being around it have stayed with him as he prepares for his own maiden Commonwealth Games appearance.
The Inverurie judoka had just turned 17 and was behind the scenes at the SECC as judo took centre stage on the first three days, with Team Scotland eventually pocketing 13 medals including six golds.
With the sport not included in the Gold Coast programme in 2018, McWatt has had to wait until this year to finally get to experience that for himself at another “home” games.
McWatt’s place is yet to be confirmed but the 24-yearold will likely be one of the more experienced figures in a youthful squad as Team Scotland looks to judo to hopefully bring home another glut of medals this summer.
“It would be an honour to fight for Scotland as we don’t get too many chances to do that,” he said. “I was just a bit too young for Glasgow in 2014 but I was part of the GB youth programme at that time and we got to go and watch it all, and also visit the Scottish section of the athletes’ village to see what all that was like.
“That was a cool experience and let the younger generation of players prepare for the future for when it is hopefully our time. I knew all of the Scotland team back then from travelling down to Edinburgh to train at Ratho so to see them get so many medals was amazing.
“And because it was such a high-profile event it really raised the profile of judo and had people interested in the sport who maybe wouldn’t usually have been that fussed.
“I’d imagine it will be a similar experience in Birmingham with a lot of Scottish supporters coming down to watch so it should be a brilliant atmosphere.”
There is plenty of judo to get through first, however, before McWatt can turn his thoughts to that. This weekend’s European Championships in Sofia are another key milestone, with the Scot returning to the GB team in the -81kg category after a shoulder injury ended his chances of competing at last year’s Tokyo Olympics.
That was understandably a bitter blow but the road to Paris 2024 begins here and McWatt is determined to stay on it to the very end this time around.
“I’m feeling good ahead of the Europeans,” he added. “I always place high expectations on
myself so I’ll be looking to get in among the medals if I can.
“Training has been going well. I got a new coach at the start of the year, Colin Oates, who has taken over as head of the men’s programme and it’s been great working with him so far.
“We’ve been breaking down my judo and looking at smaller aspects we can improve on, including my gripping.
“We’re on the Paris 2024 cycle now and that’s something that’s in my thoughts too. The Europeans is a big event in itself so I’m focusing just on that at the minute but qualifying for Paris is the main aim for the next two years.
“Not making it to Tokyo was a big frustration as I felt it was the best I’d been fighting for a while until I got the injury. I was confident I would have been able to qualify but you can’t change the past. All I can do is make the most of the opportunities that lie ahead.”
Judo is a family affair with the McWatts. His dad, also Stuart, is a coach who runs the Garioch gym, while younger brothers Andrew and Ross are also promising players, with the former also now part of the senior GB set-up.
“My middle brother, Andrew, just turned 21 and is down here too training full-time with me,” explained Stuart.
“And my wee brother, Ross, was down last week too to help with the preparatory camp ahead of the Euros. So all three of us were on the mats together.
“Ross is doing well. He’s 16 now and started going abroad to fight in under-18 European Cups and the likes so judo definitely runs in the family.
“I try to help them both as much as I can, although it’s easier with Andrew as he’s here full-time. But Ross will also phone me up some times looking for advice and you just pass on what you know.
“And we all still look to our dad for help as he runs about eight clubs in the north-east. I only get home about a few times a year at the moment but I always like to go back and support him and do some coaching with the younger ones whenever I can.”
It would be an honour to fight for Scotland as we don’t get too many chances to do that