FLETCHER Benjamin

Preferred techniques
Uchi-mata (euronews.com, 21 Jan 2018)

General
GREAT BRITAIN TO IRELAND
In late 2017 he switched to compete for Ireland after previously representing Great Britain. His sister, Megan, made the same switch before him. (tokyo2020.org, 10 Sep 2020)

FAMILY BUSINESS
In addition to full-time training, he works at his parents' garden centre on weekends to help pay for his judo expenses. "I have to work to fund my Olympic dream. There are a lot of different expenses to pay for. Getting to tournaments, accommodation, flights, food. There's a host of different jobs I could be doing [at the garden centre]. I could be helping customers, stacking shelves, doing deliveries or even just manual labour, which I get roped into a lot." (tokyo2020.org, 10 Sep 2020; Olympic YouTube channel, 07 Jan 2018)

MISSING LONDON 2012
He was initially named by the British Judo Association [BJA] to compete at the 2012 Olympic Games in London. However, in order to be eligible to compete at the Games, he must have already competed in two World Cup events but he had competed in only one. He found out he wouldn't be eligible to compete in London less than three months before the Games, and described it as an administrative error. "Because of basically an admin error they selected me when I didn't have the criteria to be selected, so then three or four weeks down the line after being selected [they] realised and then [said], 'Oh, actually you can't go to the Olympic Games'. One of the worst things about it is that with the Olympic Games, it's such a big thing and everybody is so happy for you to be going. And then, all of a sudden, it's just taken away from you. When the judo was on [television at London 2012] I went on a family holiday to Spain. I love watching the Games but I didn't want to put myself through watching the judo. I thought about giving up, luckily I didn't." (owltail.com, 04 Aug 2017; ensomartialarts.com, 01 Jun 2015)