Emma Reid has been voted Athletes’ Athlete of the Month for April following her silver medal at the 2026 European Judo Championships.
The 30-year-old produced a series of dominant displays to reach the final in the -78kg category, where she was edged out by the reigning Olympic and world champion, Alice Bellandi of Italy.
The result marked a milestone moment in Emma’s career, as she claimed her first European medal, building on her Commonwealth Games victory in 2022 and World Championship bronze in 2024.
“I think, confidence-wise, it really helped me,” Emma told the BEAA after collecting her award.
“At the beginning of this year, I had a bit of a lull in performance. I felt like I was improving in training, but the performances weren’t coming in competition. In the competition before the Europeans, I just missed out on bronze, but I felt like I was where I wanted to be mentally and physically.
“I tried to carry that on [at the European Championships] and it couldn’t have happened at a better time, so I am glad I trusted the process and didn’t change too much.
“I fought the final as best I could, so I was happy in the end. I was disappointed [not to win gold] because I fought so well, but that’s my first European Championships medal.
“It was mixed emotions, but I felt happy after I got the medal.”
The Athletes’ Athlete of the Month award is presented by the British Elite Athletes Association on behalf of its members, athletes who receive World Class Programme funding from UK Sport.
The award recognises numerous achievements, including sporting success and personal milestones such as injury comebacks, awareness raising and charitable efforts.
“It’s your fellow athletes deciding [who wins], so it was really nice to win this award,” Emma added.
“Athletes know how hard it is to go and get medals, especially in judo, where it can all depend on which draw you get. I think they understood that and thought it was worth voting for me, which is nice.”
Congratulations to Emma and to her fellow nominees Sarah Davies (weightlifting), Ben Lane and Sean Vendy (badminton) and Becky Moody (equestrian).
Athletes can get involved in choosing the winner of future awards via the BEAA’s monthly member emails.
