SKELLEY Christopher

Great Britain
Judo
9 Jul 1993
28
Male
B2
NOTTINGHAM
 
Great Britain
HULL
 
Great Britain

Events and Medals

Discipline Event Rank Medal
JUD Judo Men -100 kg 1 Gold Medal

Schedule

Change
Start Time Location Event Status
Followed by 		Nippon Budokan Judo Mat 2
Men -100 kg Quarterfinals
#5
GBR
SKELLEY CSKELLEY Christopher
 Sport Class: B2
10s1
IPP
UZB
KHALILOV SKHALILOV Sharif
 Sport Class: B3
0
Finished
Followed by 		Nippon Budokan Judo Mat 2
Men -100 kg Semifinals A
#25
GBR
SKELLEY CSKELLEY Christopher
 Sport Class: B2
11
IPP
GER
UPMANN OUPMANN Oliver
 Sport Class: B2
0
Finished
Followed by 		Nippon Budokan Judo Mat 1
Men -100 kg Gold Medal Contest
#39
GBR
SKELLEY CSKELLEY Christopher
 Sport Class: B2
1s1
WAZ
USA
GOODRICH BGOODRICH Ben
 Sport Class: B2
0s2
Finished

Biographical Information

Highlights

:
RankEventYearLocation
Paralympic Games
5Men -100 kg2016Rio de Janeiro, BRA
World Championships
3Men -100 kg2018Odivelas, POR
7Men -100 kg2014Colorado Springs, CO, USA
European Championships
1Men -100 kg2017Walsall, GBR
3Men -100 kg2019Genoa, ITA
5Men's Team2017Walsall, GBR
:
Polar Bear, Chris (Athlete, 01 Apr 2016; Instagram profile, 28 Mar 2021)
:
Food, quizzes. (emergingproud.com, 20 Apr 2020)
:
Athlete
:
Hull College, Great Britain
:
Partner Louise Hunt
:
English
:
Haltemprice Judo Club [Hull, GBR]
:
Jeff Brady [club]; Ian Johns [national], GBR
:
His partner Louise Hunt has represented Great Britain in wheelchair tennis. She has competed at the 2012 and 2016 Paralympic Games and reached the women's doubles semifinals at Wimbledon in 2015 and 2016. (SportsDeskOnline, 09 May 2021; tennisthreads.net, 30 Jun 2020)
:
In 2015 he dislocated his hip during training. He required surgery and was out of action for six weeks. (emergingproud.com, 20 Apr 2020)
:
He took up the sport at age five. (emergingproud.com, 20 Apr 2020)
:
He played rugby growing up and started judo as a way of improving his fitness and to socialise. He worked as an apprentice car mechanic but was let go when his sight started to deteriorate. "[My impairment] got to the point where I thought I might not be able to do judo anymore but, luckily, I was at a great club and we figured it out. I made sure I was still doing competitions and someone spotted me at one when I was wearing a blindfold. I was beating people at a national level and was asked if I wanted to start travelling with the team and fighting internationally. I thought I had to grab that opportunity with both hands because I had no other options." (paralympics.org.uk, 28 Jul 2019; paralympics.org.uk, 20 Nov 2018; emergingproud.com, 20 Apr 2020)
:
To win a medal at the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo. Away from sport he hopes to become a counsellor. (emergingproud.com, 20 Apr 2020)
:
He trains at the British Judo Centre of Excellence in Walsall, England. (paralympics.org.uk, 28 Jul 2019)
:
Winning gold at the 2017 IBSA European Judo Championships in Walsall, England. (emergingproud.com, 20 Apr 2020)
:
British judoka Ian Johns, English rugby union player Jonny Wilkinson. (Athlete, 01 Apr 2016)
:
"The main limitation is in the mind and if you get over that you will be able to see the world and enjoy yourself." (paralympics.org.uk, 20 Nov 2018)
:
In 2020 he received the Social Impact Award at UK Sport's PLx awards for his voluntary work for non-profit organisation Phoenix Enterprises during the COVID-19 pandemic. (uksport.gov.uk, 17 Nov 2020)

In 2017 he was named the Hull Daily Mail's Sporting Champion and Disabled Athlete of the Year at the Sporting Champions Awards. (hulldailymail.co.uk, 07 Aug 2017)

General Interest

Classification
B2 (IBSA, 28 Apr 2021)

Type of Impairment
Vision impairment (Athlete, 01 Apr 2016)

Origin of Impairment
Acquired (Athlete, 01 Apr 2016)

Impairment Details
He has ocular albinism, which reduces the pigmentation of the iris and the retina. He also has a hearing impairment. (emergingproud.com, 20 Apr 2020; hulldailymail.co.uk, 07 Aug 2017)

General
WORK STRUGGLES
Before becoming a professional judoka he was an apprentice car mechanic. He was let go after his sight deteriorated and struggled with being out of work. "I would pretend I could see things that I couldn't and got away with that for a while, but eventually I couldn't hide it any longer and the garage had to let me go because I was becoming a danger. Looking back it was the toughest part of my life. The world I had built just fell apart, it really broke me as a person. I was desperate to succeed and try and plot a path into something new. I would go to the job centre and spend ages looking for jobs that someone visually and hearing impaired could do. Mechanics gave me such a buzz and I just wanted that back again. I remember crying in my mum's arms because I didn't know what to do, but the most important thing was that we tried to always think something good would come of it. I never in a million years thought it would be judo." (paralympics.org.uk, 20 Nov 2018)

OTHER ACTIVITIES
Alongside judo he works as a mentor at The True Athlete Project, which aims to improve mental health and wellbeing through sport. After the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo he plans to begin training to become a counsellor. He is also an ambassador for charities Phoenix Enterprises in Swindon, England and Disability Sport Humber in Hull. During the COVID-19 pandemic he volunteered for Phoenix Enterprises, which supports vulnerable people and people with impairments, delivering food parcels and essential items to those isolating or unable to reach shops. "I just want to help people, that's who I am. It is in my nature and always has been. If I can help someone have a good day by chatting to them or just making them a cup of tea, I have succeeded and that will make my day." (LinkedIn profile, 01 Jan 2021; emergingproud.com, 20 Apr 2020; uksport.gov.uk, 17 Nov 2020)

Legend
:
Gold Medal
:
Gold Medal Event
:
Silver Medal Event
:
Bronze Medal Event
IPP:
Ippon
WAZ:
Waza-Ari
Content 1 (removed through CDN)
Content 2 (removed through CDN).
Timing and scoring provided by OMEGA. Results powered by Atos