Joshuha Hodkinson: Coppull teen with Asperger's to compete in Virtus Global Games in France

Joshuha Hodkinson 19, has been selected for the Virtus Global Games in Vichy for the GB squad for Judo. Th e event will be held from this Sunday, June 4, until Saturday, June 10, and he will be travelling with the GB team on Friday. Joshuha who was diagnosed with Asperger's five years ago, was inspired to take up the sport after he lost a battle with his sister Chloe, 18, who he fought on a nearby hill called the White Horse and, as he puts it, “she beat me up”.

First starting at Trowbridge Budokwai in 2012 after his dad encouraged him to start a sport, he hasn’t stopped since. Competing in various competitions, Joshuha has given his Asperger's a kick to rise up the judo ranks, collecting numerous awards as he goes. His trophy cabinet will soon need expanding as he has been crowned the Ben van der Eng (BENG) Adaptive World Judo Games champion three years in a row, has won gold after winning all five fights at the Virtus Ocenia Asia Games 2022 in Brisbane and was also the Adaptive British Champion multiple times and Adaptive British Schools Champion.

An excited Joshuha told the Post: "I got selected by the GB Adaptive Team from my performance in the OA Games and I will be competing in the under 66kg category. Judo allows me to forget whatever has happened in the day, and allows me to clear my mind by focussing on doing judo. It would mean a lot to my Judo career to win this competition as it will allow me to progress further competing on an international stage.”

Proving his dedication to the cause, he trains four days a week under the guidance of Peter Blood, SKK Judo Club and Joe Burns, Beach Judo Club, combining this with weight training and running. When not training for upcoming competitions, the former Southlands High School pupil also works at Duce Accountants Firm in Chorley. Being athletically talented clearly runs in the family as sister Chloe Baker is also an avid judoka who has attained her black belt. She was also one of the youngest to compete in the Junior category at the Judo European Cup in May and has recently competed in Kaunas, Lithuania for the Kaunas European Junior Cup.

The Runshaw College student who is currently studying an AAT Level 3 apprentice which is due to finish by the end of June, added: “ I hope to aim for the Paralympics next year in Paris where adaptive judo will be displayed as a demonstration sport, and eventually in Los Angeles, 2028 as a normal Paralympic sport.”

The Virtus Global Games is the world's largest elite sports event for athletes with an intellectual impairment. Thousands of athletes from Europe, America, Asia, Africa, and Oceania will perform across ten main sports.