He said: ‘The problem with Judo is that it has legends and no stars’ – could the teenager with an Olympic dream be that man to change that?
He’d also love to stage a Judo fight night at Portman Road
A judo champ from Trimley is continuing his mission to compete at the Olympics.
Dom Cremer, 18, is on a level 3 sport course at Suffolk New College.
He started Judo as an after-school thing. Then he learnt all about the heritage (of the sport) and, after COVID, became more passionate about it – and decided this is what he wants to do as a career.
He fights at the 66kg class and has competed at tournaments across the country – winning a series of regional titles along the way.
Locally he trains at Ipswich and Felixstowe Judo clubs and has also been down to London, where he has trained with Ashley McKenzie – a four-time Olympian and Commonwealth medal winner.
He also trains at clubs in Camberley and Cambridge.
After college, he wants to either go to university on a scholarship and study sports science – or become a full-time athlete, where he is currently considering his options in terms of where he would train.
In terms of his recent successes, Dom said: “I’d say my greatest achievement is being selected for East of England and being part of a new generation of fighters. I also finished sixth in a high-level national tournament, and I’m ranked number one in the East of England at under-21 level. I’m also around the top 30 in the country in terms of ranking. Each time I go out there, I try to be the best I can, focus, and do my thing.
Most recently, Dom looked to defend his 66kg crown at the East of England Championships in Thetford. (He came second and got a silver medal). And later in the year, he will be at the British Championships, which will be in Nottingham this December
On the future he said: “I’m very optimistic about this year and I’m really determined to make Brisbane 2032. I also want to get on the international circuit.”
In terms of funding his dream – he said: “I fund it myself and it’s hard. The football club Paris Saint-Germain funds a Judo team, and I think Judo needs more commercialisation. Maybe Ipswich Town could work with me. They backed Fabio Wardley – it would be great if I could work with them on an event related to the sport I love.”
He continued: “In terms of promoting Judo more widely, we need to respect the tradition, and we don’t start trash-talking, but we need to try and raise the profile and create more funding. I’d say there are legends in the sport, but no stars. I think that needs to change. We need to create more stars. Who knows – maybe that star could be me.”
And in terms of support from the college, Dom said: “They are always there for me.”
Ben Norfolk is a sports lecturer at the college. He said: “Dom is whipping up a storm in the sport, and he is determined to get to the top level. Seeing his determination to succeed on a daily basis makes me really believe that he will get there. We will support him all the way.”