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Sport

20 April, 2022

Local judoka takes home gold

At the 2022 Queensland State Judo Championships, the President of Pittsworth Sokaijin Judo Club Craig Hindmarsh performed exceptionally well, wining the gold medal in the senior men under 73kg division.


Craig Hindmarsh (centre) standing on the podium with his gold medal.

Hindmarsh also secured the bronze medal in the veteran men division, for all those aged 30 and above weighing under 73kg.

Hindmarsh had six wins from seven matches and said he was happy he did not sustain any major injuries.

“It wasn’t a bad day at the office,” he said.

The state championships were held at Noosa on Saturday, 9th April.

Hindmarsh said it was a long, gruelling day, with the weigh-ins happening at 10.30am and matches going on all day until 4.30pm.

He said he came up against some challenging fighters.

“The younger guys are quick, tough. 

“They go all out for the first minute.

“I fight strategically by countering their moves,” he said.

The matches are fought in a round-robin format, with the best performing judokas earning a spot on the podium at the end of the day.

The gold medal is a personal best performance, with his previous pinnacle being a bronze medal back in 2016.

Judo has been a part of Craig Hindmarsh’s life almost continuously since the age of seven.

The only break came when he was in the army for four years and it was not possible to practice judo, so he did taekwondo instead.

Hindmarsh said his performance was helped by support on the sidelines from his parents and partner.

“I perform better with loved ones watching,” he said.

Hindmarsh was the sole representative from the Pittsworth Sokaijin Judo Club at the championships.

He said many of the other judokas were either not quite at the level for state championships yet, while a lot of them work away, making things difficult.

Hindmarsh said overall it was a good experience and he would like to thank his Sensei Robin Day for the commitment shown to training and also to Wooran Choi.


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