Alan Petherbridge
Encyclopedia
Alan Petherbridge MBE is a British
Olympic athlete and holds a kudan
(9th dan black belt) in Judo
, one of four who hold such a grade awarded by the British Judo Association.
Starting Judo at Swansea Judo Society at age of 22, he was captain of the team to win Matsui Challenge Cup 1955 and gained his shodan (1st Dan) the same year - the first Welshman to gain that grade. Petherbridge won the Goldberg Vass Memorial Trophy in 1956 and was a member of the British Team from 1956 to 1958. He achieved nidan (2nd Dan) in 1957.
He was appointed as Welsh National Coach in 1957 and was also a finalist in the 2nd Dan European Championships of that year. He represented Wales in a three-cornered match against England and Scotland in 1953 and competed in the 1964 Olympic Games
in Tokyo
.
In September 2010 Petherbridge was inducted to the Welsh Sports Hall of Fame
.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Olympic athlete and holds a kudan
Dan rank
The ranking system is a Japanese mark of level, which is used in modern fine arts and martial arts. Originally invented in a Go school in the Edo period, this system was applied to martial arts by Kanō Jigorō, the founder of judo and later introduced to other East Asia countries.In the modern...
(9th dan black belt) in Judo
Judo
is a modern martial art and combat sport created in Japan in 1882 by Jigoro Kano. Its most prominent feature is its competitive element, where the object is to either throw or takedown one's opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue one's opponent with a grappling maneuver, or force an...
, one of four who hold such a grade awarded by the British Judo Association.
Starting Judo at Swansea Judo Society at age of 22, he was captain of the team to win Matsui Challenge Cup 1955 and gained his shodan (1st Dan) the same year - the first Welshman to gain that grade. Petherbridge won the Goldberg Vass Memorial Trophy in 1956 and was a member of the British Team from 1956 to 1958. He achieved nidan (2nd Dan) in 1957.
He was appointed as Welsh National Coach in 1957 and was also a finalist in the 2nd Dan European Championships of that year. He represented Wales in a three-cornered match against England and Scotland in 1953 and competed in the 1964 Olympic Games
1964 Summer Olympics
The 1964 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Tokyo, Japan in 1964. Tokyo had been awarded with the organization of the 1940 Summer Olympics, but this honor was subsequently passed to Helsinki because of Japan's...
in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
.
In September 2010 Petherbridge was inducted to the Welsh Sports Hall of Fame
Welsh Sports Hall of Fame
The Welsh Sports Hall of Fame is a charitable organization created to commemorate the sporting achievements and preserve the artifacts of Welsh athletes. It was established in 1980 from the memorabilia collection of Welsh radio announcer G. V. Wynne-Jones...
.