Judo: Edinburgh club set to dominate GB Olympic team

Edinburgh judo club head coach Billy Cusack today admitted he is aiming to roll out the mat for a magnificent seven members who could gain selection for the London 2012 Olympics.

With Olympic organisers this week unveiling schedules July 28 - August 3 could be a red-letter period for the Capital's own centre of sporting excellence at Meadowbank Arts Complex, St Margaret's House, if, as Cusack claims, exactly half the Great Britain team places being targeted become reality.

The countdown to London further steps up a level this weekend with Edinburgh JC members Euan Burton (-81kg) and James Austin (-100kg) as well as Sarah Adlington (+ 78kg) contesting the prestigious Dusseldorf Grand Prix.

Other front runners for London places are Sally Conway, Matthew Purssey, James Millar and Sarah Clark.

Coach Cusack, 44, a competitor at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics and a current GB coach, says: "Only the Wolverhampton men's judo club back in 1980 has come within three or four selections of achieving the type of Olympic representation we are chasing. With five golds among our eight medals from recent British Championships and top performer Euan Burton not even competing, ours is a realistic ambition and looking further ahead I'm confident judo can lead the medal table for Scotland at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

"The thought that Edinburgh could have seven 2012 representatives and cities like London or Birmingham perhaps once apiece is remarkable, but realistic. I've been an Olympic coach since Barcelona and have yet to crack a medal but this time looks promising after European and World successes even allowing for me being an eternal optimist. July 31 is the day that Euan Burton is expected to compete and we are all very hopeful for a player who is been consistently in the world's top five. "The reason Euan is not world No.?1 is probably down to the fact that Britons do not have to enter 2012 qualifying tournaments. Secret of any success at home is the fact that our club caters for ambitious youngsters and those who simply want to take part.

"Champions and beginners are all under the same roof and good work ethics, behaviour and discipline are passed down so that, hopefully, success keeps on breeding success as more and more is expected of those representing Edinburgh Judo Club."

Burton has just added bronze at the World Masters elite tournament in Baku to his third-place finish at both the 2010 World and European championships and he recently told the British judo website: "We have got some really strong players at the top end of the sport.

"We definitely have the potential to get big results at almost every weight category."

Earlier this year Adlington struck bronze at the Belgian Open while James Austin took silver at the Belgium Open.

Sarah Clark represented Britain in Beijing and, after 2010 was dogged by injury, the 11 times national and former European champion bounced back with victory in the "British" at Sheffield.

But Sarah echoes the view of all at Edinburgh Judo Club in saying that they are too close to a landmark achievement to take anything for granted.

"The British Association are saying that they are not going to fill slots with people just because they are No.?1 and we have to perform on the world stage and get a decent place in the ranking tournaments.

"British judo will send us out to tournaments where they feel we should be competing and a lot of training and travelling lies ahead. We will have to be smart and avoid burn out in some instances."