Judo world title for Dawn Netherwood 35 years after taking up the sport

Jun 5 2010 Huddersfield Daily Examiner

HUDDERSFIELD has a new world champion!

And it’s a wonderful, personal, courageous triumph for judo star Dawn Netherwood.

She has just won the women’s world judo championships in Budapest, Hungary – an astonishing 35 years after first taking up the sport.

And she triumphed exactly 30 years after first competing in a world title bout and only months after returning to the sport after a 20-year break.

That first world fight was in New York and she finished with a silver medal.

But she went one better in Budapest with a stunning victory over the Italian Parrissillani in the Under 63 kg class.

She dropped down a weight to compete and felt fit after a brief diet to meet the weight.

The former Waterloo and Mirfield woman was ecstatic after her triumph.

“I did it.

“I was very determined and I wanted so much to become the new world champion.

“The fight didn’t last very long. In the first minute I threw her for Ippon with Harai Goshi, to win.

“The emotions were fantastic, as all my friends were there to cheer me on.