After a qualification period unlike any other, the finish line is in sight for Team Bath judoka Megan Fletcher with less than 100 days to go until the delayed Tokyo Olympic Games get under way.
Her place in the Ireland squad isn’t confirmed yet but she is well placed in the women’s -70kg rankings with just a couple of qualifying competitions still to go – starting with the European Championships which begin on Friday in Lisbon, Portugal.
After narrowly missing out on competing at London 2012 and Rio 2016, taking to the Olympic mat in Tokyo would be the perfect conclusion to Fletcher’s judo career but getting there will not have been easy.
“No athletes have had to qualify for an Olympics during a global pandemic before and I know if I get to Tokyo I will have really achieved something,” said Fletcher, who won gold for Team England at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games before switching to Ireland in 2017.
“It’s been a weird year but it will be worth the craziness if I get to the Olympics.
“I wasn’t sure for much of last year if I would ever get to compete again. Training was suspended and I remember having to practice throws with my boyfriend, who isn’t a judoka, on a mat in my parents’ garden centre in Wokingham while my coach advised over a video call.
“We’ve been able to compete since November but it has taken a while for me to feel comfortable again on the circuit.
“I’m still not quite firing on all cylinders but as my coach keeps telling me, I just need to be flying on July 27. Everything else is about getting myself to the Olympics and I am in a good position at the moment.
“I’m currently 23rd in the World rankings but 17th in the Olympic qualification standings and the top 18 earn an automatic place at Tokyo.
While Fletcher continues her Olympic build-up, brother Ben – a fellow Team Bath and Ireland judoka – is continuing his recovery from a broken leg sustained while competing in Israel in February.
“It’s obviously not what we wanted five months out from an Olympics but he is recovering so well and hopefully he will be able to fight in Tokyo,” she added. “I don’t know how he is so tough. When it happened there was no negativity, he was just immediately focused on getting fit in time for Tokyo. He is so mentally strong.”
