Following a hugely successful 2012 for Royal Marine Chris Sherrington, where he competed for Team GB at the London Olympics; 2013 proved to be a tougher twelve months as he recovered from significant surgery to his shoulder.

“I’d been having trouble for 8/9 months with the shoulder and the team at sportscotland helped me to figure out what was wrong with it and we realised that it was something that needed surgery”, says Chris. “We were all still buzzing from the Olympics but we were worried about recovery times as Glasgow is not far away – there’s not a lot of time to get everything sorted, which puts pressure on everyone.”

Following surgery, Chris’ first competition back in action was the Glasgow European Open at the Emirates Arena in October 2013. Up against some “big guys who would give the shoulder a good test”, Chris battled to the bronze medal fight in the +100KG weight category but unfortunately he was arm locked and forced to submit.

In the final competition of 2013 – The British Championships – Chris finished the year on a high by becoming British Champion, and bringing down the curtain on a long-year. Now, with Glasgow 2014 just a few months away, Chris’ immediate priorities are to keep getting the points and putting in the performances that will keep him at the forefront for Team Scotland.

“I really hope the worst is behind me and my luck will continue to get better through to the Commonwealth Games. The Euro Open would have been a nice win but judo is so tough and I made mistakes. We did more preparation and the British Trials was a total success, so much so that I hardly broke a sweat. With continued support from the Royal Navy and sportscotland I think we should be ready to win a medal in Glasgow.”

Post-Games, Chris hopes that a successful Team Scotland will have a lasting impact on Judo as a sport, with Glasgow presenting a fantastic opportunity to showcase the sport to a new generation of fans and participants.

“Before London Judo’s popularity wasn’t as high as it could be, and I think the Games there has helped to stop that decline. What we need to look at now with the Commonwealth Games is to put it back on the map. It is really important that we hit the ground running and put on a good show.”

Photo Credit: JudoScotland