Strabane judo brothers to represent NI in South Africa

TWO young sportsmen from Strabane are on the verge of making their mark on the international judo world when then they depart for the Commonwealth Judo Championships this summer.

Brothers Zach and Shane Gallagher from Townsend Street will represent Team NI at the championships which will take place in Port Elizabeth in South Africa in August.

Proud mother Jennifer spoke to the Chronicle about her sons’ achievements.

“I and their father couldn’t be happier; it’s a dream come true for the boys, who found out that they were part of the team back in May, after qualifying for the squad through other competitions. They’ve been involved in judo for the majority of their lives, training at Conakarai dojo in Derry. The boys have medalled at other competitions in the past but representing NI is the biggest thing they’ve done in their judo careers to date. Their dad was also a sportsman in his younger years so is clear that sporting prowess runs in the family.”

Eighteen-year-old Zach is currently All-Ireland champion in judo for his category and younger brother Shane (16), has just achieved his black belt, currently one of the youngest people in Ireland to have done so. When at the championships, younger brother Shane will compete at the cadet stage while older brother Zach will compete at the junior stage. Prior to being selected for the Team NI squad, the brothers were part of the Northern Ireland judo performance programme for over a year. The programme allows those in it training opportunities with the best in the sport in order to maximise their sporting potential.

However, with the championships just over seven weeks away, the race is on to secure funding to make the boy’s dream come true.

Jennifer explained, “The championships are self-funded so any participants have to raise their own sponsorship money in order to pay for flights, accommodation, food, judo gis and anything else that they need. Holy Cross, where the boys are students, has said they will help in any way they can, so we can achieve the goal. A GoFundMe page is currently running and at present (Wednesday) we have reached £1,345 over half of the £2,200 target.

“Everyone’s just buzzing at the moment at the thought of the boys going to Port Elizabeth. It’s such an achievement to be able to represent NI. Going forward, the boys would like to qualify for the 2028 Olympics, but let’s get these championships out of the way first.”

If anyone would like to contribute to the fundraising effort they can do so at GoFundeMe.com and search for’ Commonwealth Judo Championships – South Africa.’