Chris Skelley
Athlete Information
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Region
Hull
-
Date of Birth
08/07/1993
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Classification
-100kg
Athlete main content
Bio
Chris started judo as his parents wanted him to do extracurricular sporting activities. He started attending his local judo club which was recommended by rugby coach.
At the age of 17 Chris’ eyesight began to deteriorate which eventually caused him to stop his apprenticeship to become a mechanic. At 19 Chris was eventually diagnosed with oculartanious albinism. As well as his job, Chris also had to stop playing rugby, meaning judo was the only constant in his life during this period.
At the age of 19 Chris moved to Walsall to train full time at the British Judo Centre of Excellence. Since the move Chris has been crowned European Champion and won two World Championship bronze medals. In 2019 Chris became ranked world number 1 in the -100kg category, a ranking he still holds to this day.
Coming into Tokyo 2020 ranked No1 in the world, Chris lived up to expectations by beating USA’s Ben Goodrich in the final to become the Paralympic champion.
Outside of judo Chris is an ambassador for Phoenix Enterprises and during lockdown he was delivering food parcels to vulnerable members of his community. This saw Chris win the UK Sport Social Impact award at the PLx award evening.
Chris is also a mentor for True Athlete Project.
Major Results
2020 Paralympic Games, Tokyo, Japan
- Gold
2019 European Championships, Genoa, Italy
- Bronze
2018 World Championships, Lisbon, Portugal
- Bronze
2017 European Championships, Walsall, UK
- Bronze
2015 World Games, Seoul, South Korea
- Bronze
2015 European Championships, Lisbon, Portugal
- Bronze
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