Judo champ Sean wins big in Berlin, but he isn’t stopping there
The 20 year old scooped gold at the Special Olympics World Games
Last updated 9th Nov 2023
It’s been a spectacular week for Sean Allan, after taking home Judo gold from the Berlin 2023 Special Olympics World Games.
The 20-year-old from Castle Douglas won his fights in under 10 seconds, and was glad to see his 12 years of Judo training pay off.
Now home, Sean is straight back into training and focussed on achieving his black belt, with even more competition dates including the British Adaptive Championships already in the diary.
Despite training three times a week with Castle Douglas Judo Club, Sean doesn’t stop there.
He tells us Judo is a huge part of life: “I train three time a week, and I train at home, and I was also training on holiday as well.”
Sean has been remaining humble about his win:
“It was just a happy surprise”
Longstanding Coach Luke Struthers travelled with Sean to the games in Berlin, along with several family members. He says the overwhelming feeling is pride:
“I think Sean’s done brilliantly, it’s great to see all his hard work being rewarded.
“I was hugely proud watching him fight, it was nice that some of his family were able to get out to Berlin as well.”
Regarded as the world’s largest inclusive sports event, The Special Olympics World Games see thousands of athletes with intellectual disabilities compete together across different sports.
Since returning home, Sean has been able to show his medal to some of the younger children at the Judo club, inspiring them to stick with a hobby Coach Struthers says can teach more than just a sport:
“I know it’s certainly helped Sean a lot in terms of social skills and dedication to training, he’s been training at home as well for this competition, so he’s really put the effort in. I think there’s a lot of things judo can give people.”
It’s hoped Sean’s success will continue inspiring those around him to work hard, as he trains for his next challenge.