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Knaresborough brother and sister duo clinch national judo medals

Friday, 15 May 2026 10:33

Judo medalists Jack and Lizzie Deniz.

A top-performing brother and sister clinched gold and silver medals at major national judo championships.

Ripon Grammar students Jack and Lizzie Deniz delivered outstanding performances at the prestigious English Open Judo Championships in Thetford, one of the biggest competitions on the national calendar.

Competing against elite athletes from across England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland, 11-year-old Lizzie was crowned English Open Champion as she took the top spot in her category to claim gold.

Jack, 13, fought superbly throughout the day to secure a silver medal against a highly competitive field, continuing an impressive season of performances at national level.

The dedicated and hard-working siblings, from outside Knaresborough, train twice a week at Pudsey Judo Club, where their coach is British Judo vice-president Neil Fletcher.

Jack’s busy schedule continues as he remains part of the National squad setup and will travel to Antwerp with the England team to compete internationally.

The teenager, who was crowned British Schools judo champion last year and first took up judo when he was six, trains with the England squad once a month in Walsall, Birmingham.

Lizzie won bronze in her category at the British Championships in Augus and won bronze more recently at the British Schools Judo Championships at the England Institute for Sport, where she competed against some of the best players in the country.

They both follow in the footsteps of their older brother, Tom, who was ranked Britain’s number one U18 judo star.

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