Adlington targeting podium after Team GB call comes at last
Edinburgh’s Sarah Adlington is confident third time can be lucky – and be the ultimate charm – after finally earning her Olympic judo debut in Tokyo later this month.
Having missed out in London 2012 and five years ago in Rio, the 34-year-old heavyweight has been confirmed among a six-strong British team for Tokyo.
The Edinburgh-based fighter, who struck gold for Scotland at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, snuck in at the eleventh hour through the world rankings where she sits 33rd despite her first round exit in last month’s world championships.
She said: “It’s been a long time coming, lots of ups and downs along the way. To be a part of the GB team feels amazing. I was always confident in my ability. But I’ve missed out before. I missed out by one place on qualification for Rio. So there is always that anxiousness.
“You don’t want that history to repeat itself. But what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. We’ve done five years since then and I’m a lot better athlete than I was then.”
Adlington, the eldest on the squad, will bid to follow in the footsteps of long-time club-mate Sally Conway who pulled out a stunning run to bronze at Rio 2016.
In probably her single shot at Olympic glory, the veteran believes she can peak at the perfect moment. She said: “If I perform to the best of my ability, I can be on that podium. That’s the dream and if I didn’t believe it, I wouldn’t be here.”
British athletes have claimed a total of 19 Olympic judo medals, but are still chasing that elusive first gold.