NAME: Chelsie GILES
COUNTRY: GREAT BRITAIN
CATEGORY: -52KG
POINTS: 6190
What a year and a half it has been for the now world ranked number one, Chelsie GILES of Great Britain. It hasn’t been a sudden rise for Giles as her consistency demonstrates that she has been teetering around the top spot for some time, but can now hail from the lofty position closing out the year.
There are small numbers separating the -52kg category athletes in the top five, and within it are two Olympic champions, also with world titles flying around but despite this, Giles is edging ever closer.
In the Tokyo Olympic Games she was able to claim her Olympian glory by taking a bronze medal followed by a European title in Sofia this year. As if this wasn’t defining enough, she was on a whole new level in the Tashkent World Championships in October, securing a silver medal losing out only to the Olympic champion, ABE Uta (JPN). It was in fact here that she demonstrated she wasn’t a ‘one trick pony’ with her ne waza abilities, something her opponents commend her on and make a point of avoiding at all costs during the contest.
An Olympic and world medal, as well as European title all support her top position and finally, a Masters silver in Jerusalem shot her up five places in the world ranking to become the number one for 2022.
Judoka
Author: Thea Cowen