Leckmelm raised Malin Wilson to compete for Team Scotland in judo for commonwealth games after recovering from previous injuries

Malin Wilson has been selected as one of the 11 fighters to represent Team Scotland in the Judo event at the upcoming 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

Malin (27), grew up at Inverbroom and Leckmelm, attended primary and high schools in Ullapool, and started her Judo career at Lochbroom Leisure Centre, where her dad Brian taught a class. She progressed to clubs in Invergordon, Alness and Inverness, before moving to Edinburgh to train full-time with Judo Scotland.

After a period of training in France, and several visits to Japan as the home of Judo, Malin now lives, trains and competes from a base in Madrid, Spain.

Following successes at European level in 2021, Malin suffered a serious knee injury and has spent much of this year in surgery, recuperation and determined recovery; a difficult period which she has marked the end of by taking a bronze medal at the Senior European Open in Switzerland in July.

The Commonwealth Games Judo events are on from August 1–3, at the Coventry Arena, with Malin fighting on August 2 in the women's under-57kg category.

Judo has been in Malin's family for three generations, starting with her grandfather George who was a Black belt judoka in Aberdeen, then her dad Brian who was a Scottish squad judo player and twice British Universities judo champion in the 80's. Malin's younger sister Nellie had also trained at the Invergordon and Inverness Judo clubs as a teenager.

Brian Wilson, Malin's dad says:"Malin was keen and single-minded about Judo ever since starting in Ullapool at around eight years old."

A few of Malin's family members will travel to watch the fight at The Games in Birmingham, and the rest will be sure to follow it closely on TV.

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