Athlete of the Week: Judo Jeff Allen

Last month, Judo Jeff Allen returned to Huntsville undefeated following a competition tour.

Allen’s tour, which would have included four different competitions, was cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic, but he was able to complete—

He first competed in the 44th Battle of Columbus / Martial Arts World Games XX 2020 held in Columbus, Ohio from March 6-8. Allen competed in the Master and Senior Heavyweight Divisions where he was undefeated in all of his fights, earning two gold medals. With the coronavirus threat, organizers limited spectators to only the athlete. The event usually draws at least 250,000 people in total.

Allen and his family then travelled 1,500 kilometers south to Cape Coral, Florida where Allen fought in the 10th annual Yoichiro Matsumura Judo Championships on March 14.

With new restrictions limiting the number of people at the venue to 100, spectators were once again mainly athletes. At this tournament, Allen fought in both the Senior Heavyweight Division and the Kosen Heavyweight Division which means ‘no rules judo’. He won gold medals in both divisions along with the Best Overall Senior Trophy.

“The day went great coming out on top… Despite the state of Florida limiting the crowd of people to less than 100 people they pulled the tournament together and made it work,” said Allen.

Allen’s 16 wins across the two tournaments were all by Ippon, the highest score that can be achieved in a judo match.

Jeff Allen with his four gold medals and trophy earned at two competitions in early March 2020 (supplied)

Once the Florida tournament was over, Allen and his family were informed that all Canadians were to head home immediately and that is exactly what they did. The Allen family arrived safely back in Huntsville and followed 14-day quarantine protocol due to their out-of-country travel. They are all in great health.

“It was a great trip. I had really exciting fights. Met lots of great people,” said Allen. “I was feeling really good after the two tournaments. I was really looking forward to the other two tournaments…but it’s better to be safe. I’m trying to keep everybody healthy.”

Jeff Allen with his family (from left) Lucas, Ayla and Crystal (supplied)

Allen was scheduled to compete in the Canadian Open National Championships in Edmonton from May 14-17 to defend his national title, but due to COVID-19 preventative measures, the Nationals have been postponed to early July 2020.