In Japan, the birthplace of judo, Cypriot judoka Petros Christodoulides continues his training. After an outstanding performance and a 9th-place finish at the Qingdao Grand Prix in China, Petros is now ranked 29th in the world, marking a particularly positive start to the Olympic qualification period.

Regarding his performance at the Qingdao Grand Prix, Christodoulides said: “It was an excellent competition. I felt very ready and in great shape. In the first match, I defeated the Russian champion, and then I faced the top athlete in my weight class, two-time Olympic gold medalist Hifumi Abe from Japan. Although I ultimately didn’t manage to win and finished the tournament in 9th place, I gained valuable experience and, above all, a great deal of self-confidence. “This competition showed me that I can stand my ground and compete on equal footing with top-level athletes.”

Petros is currently at Nippon Sport Science University in Japan, participating in a particularly demanding training camp with the country’s top athletes. “The goal of this training camp is to train with high-level athletes from Japan so that I’m as well-prepared as possible for the Commonwealth Games,” added the 21-year-old judoka.

With his sights set on the 2028 Olympic Games, Petros Christodoulides continues his efforts, backed by people and organizations that actively support his journey toward Olympic qualification.

“I would like to warmly thank Allwyn Cyprus, Christis Charalambides, the Federation, the KOA, the KOE, and Pavlos Kontidis’s #TowardsLA program by Pavlos Kontidis for their invaluable support. I will continue to work hard and give my best to repay their trust,” emphasized Petros Christodoulides.