IT was another successful trip to London for one of Bradford’s fighting stars last Saturday, as Steven Singh Takhar claimed silver at the British Masters Judo Championships.

Takhar is a member of the Bradford Judo Club on Halifax Road and he has been involved in the sport for 27 years.

The event itself took place last Saturday, October 22, at the Surrey Sports Park in Guildford, London, and Steven was the latest in a long line of Singh family members to shine at National or International level.

Sam, his father represented Great Britain for many years and won a bronze at the World Championships in 1975, while his cousin Graham was a British Champion. All of them followed in the footsteps of their late, great grandparents.

Reflecting on last Saturday’s achievement, Steven Singh said: “I’m proud of what I achieved despite always being hard on myself. The last time I competed in this competition was in 2018 where I achieved a bronze medal, but then the pandemic hit so I wasn’t able to build on what I’d set out to do

“To come back this year and go one better with getting the silver; I’m thoroughly pleased with it. I’d like to say thank you to the Bradford Judo Club because they give me a great platform and environment to thrive in and I’m very grateful for that. I’ll be back at the British Championships next year with an aim of improving once again, so gold will certainly be the aim.”

It was another opportunity for a fighter to fly the flag for Bradford on a National stage, but not only that, Singh was flying the flag for those from a British Indian background.

He said: "It's always great to represent Bradford, but being a British Indian adds an extra element of pride because there are not many Asians who compete in these types of competitions up and down the country; that's from first-hand experience.

"I'd love to be able to inspire the next generation of athletes because that's what it's about now; if they can see us and see us competing well, then that's an achievement. Not only that, if the younger generation can see someone of my colour representing their city at this stage then hopefully it will encourage them to get involved and just start the sport. It shows that there is a credible pathway to get to a good level of judo."

There is a clear desire for Singh to go that one better and achieve his own desired gold, however, he admitted that he's ready for his children to take the step into a sport adored by he and his family.

He said: "This sport has given me so much and it's very special to me for a number of reasons. Firstly, it teaches lots of discipline and respect, there's a code of conduct and it grounds you as a person. Also, it's obviously brilliant for your physical and mental health because you are always engaged and challenged when you are in competing or training for that matter.

"I'd love my kids to get into this sport and continue in the footsteps of a number of my family members. It's a wonderful sport and I couldn't imagine a life without it now."