Ethan Nairne claimed gold in the men’s -73kg judo final at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, edging out fellow England competitor Ben Levy. The 24-year-old, who is from Weston-super-Mare and trains in Bristol, triumphed in an all-English final decided by a Yuko score after a hard-fought contest that went the full distance.
Nairne attributed his success to the inspiration he drew from his older sister, Lele Nairne, who had won bronze in the -57kg category the previous day. “What a weekend it’s been for the Nairne family,” he said. “Her getting bronze spurred me on even more. It motivated me to go out there and do my best. I’ve only seen her twice today but I saw her celebrating in the crowd while letting me focus. I’m so relieved. I’ve wanted to achieve this for a long time.”
The final was contested in front of the Prince and Princess of Wales, adding to the significance of the occasion. Despite the elation of victory for Nairne, Levy expressed disappointment, with the two athletes knowing each other well through regular training sessions.
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Elsewhere at the Games, there was mixed fortune for England’s boxing contingent. Trowbridge’s Ruby White was narrowly defeated in the women’s 51kg boxing final against India’s Sakshi Chaudhary. White’s impressive unbeaten streak of 68 fights came to an end as she received a unanimous 5-0 decision loss, earning her a silver medal at just 19 years old.