A postgraduate Solent University student and sport scholar has taken home the silver medal at the 2024 Commonwealth Judo Championships.

The Commonwealth Judo Championships are an international tournament for Commonwealth countries, with the first tournament taking place in 1986.

With the 2024 championships being held in Malta, Solent postgraduate Gemma Mills confidently beat competitors in the under 78kg category at the games.

Currently studying for an MSc in Cyber Security Engineering following a BA in Business Management, Gemma has now taken her success to new heights.

In September 2023, Gemma became one of 20 young athletes to become sport scholars at Solent - receiving tailored support when it comes to juggling her Judo activities and her studying.

As a sport scholar, Gemma has access to strength and conditioning to nutrition and physiotherapy at Solent.

To help her compete in Malta, the University also provided funding to support Gemma’s journey to the championships.

Gemma’s latest success follows a trip to Montreal in November 2023, where she competed in the PanAmerican Judo Continental Cup.

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The medallist said: “Solent has really helped me in the process of getting this medal due to the training facilities that are available to me as a sport scholar; the gym classes that push me hard to get my fitness to the best level it can be.”

Gemma has stated that her ultimate goal is to compete for Great Britain, a goal supported by two-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist, Kelly Simm.

Kelly is now working with Solent to support this year’s cohort of scholars.

The two-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist said: "Gemma is a fantastic student-athlete and a great role for others pursuing a dual career.

“She is very diligent with the organisation of her academic and sporting schedules and is a pleasure to support.

“Gemma is one of the many athletes at Solent who are busy training and competing while completing their academic degrees.

“We are all very proud of Gemma’s achievement at this event and know this experience will only help her to go on to achieve even more in the future."