Oates’ loss was on the cards, says his coach
SETBACK: Colin Oates, blue
North Lopham judo player Colin Oates is looking to bounce back from an early exit in the European Cup in Malaga when he takes to the mat for the Samoa World Cup in Apia today.
Great Britain’s number one at under-66kg suffered an embarrassing early exit in the competition in Spain last Friday when he was disqualified for an illegal move in a first round under-73kg encounter with the Netherlands’ Tjeerd Tjeerdsma.
His father and coach Howard Oates, who travelled to Spain with him, admitted his son looked off colour on his first appearance since coming joint-seventh at the London Olympics in the summer.
But the poor showing was something he had in mind when deciding to send him to what is regarded as a lesser competition ahead of the big ranking points on offer in Samoa and then the China Grand Prix in Qingdao the week after.
“He did not fight well and I told Colin after the Olympics he would hit a downer as to try and lift yourself from the London Olympics for this event was always going to be hard,” he said.
Oates’ Kumo Judo Club team-mate Jonathan Drane also went out in the under-73kg first round, to Spaniard Luis Alcaraz Del Rey.
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Saturday 18 May 2013
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