Judo: Lack of fighting spirit costs Britons

Seven days of judo, eight British fighters, no medals, only one fifth-place finish. And just one Olympic silver medal since Barcelona in 1992. Do we need a requiem for British judo - or just another inquest?

A poor performance by one of the greatest medal hopes - world silver medallist Karina Bryant - in the heavyweight category yesterday was the final nail in the coffin and British judo morale is - or should be - at an all-time low. And it wasn't as if the fighters were without pedigree or chances.

Bryant was set to take the role of the anchorman, and her draw looked as good as was possible, but she was uninspired. She was thrown and held by Daima Beltran, of Cuba, came back in the repêchage to win against Tatania Bvegadzi, of Congo, only to lose comprehensively to Giovanna Blanco, of Venezuela.

And yet the Athens competition has seen some remarkable judo. Japan have been outstanding from the very first day and finished with eight golds from big, bold judo. There was the unforgettable win by the 17-year-old Greek Ilias Iliadis. But from the three main British fighters tipped for medals - Craig Fallon, Kate Howey and Bryant - not a sniff of one. Only the middleweight Winston Gordon got to a fight-off for a medal.

The explanations or excuses can be aimed at individual level, but the questions should be put to the team as a whole. With more than £2 million to prepare for Athens, under the performance director Udo Quellmalz, funding was not a problem. And the two silver medals won at the World Championships last year suggested a good Olympics. But it was not to be. Why?

Densign White, the British Judo Association chairman, said that every player was fit and the issue was more technical. "Many of the players do not seem to be able to throw opponents at this level of competition and are relying too much on tactics," he remarked. "You cannot try to sneak an Olympic medal. You have to fight for it. There will be changes in the coaching staff."