| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | British (English) |
| Born | (1970-05-14)14 May 1970 (age 55) Henley-on-Thames,Oxfordshire, England |
| Occupation | Judoka |
| Website | nicolafairbrother |
| Sport | |
| Country | Great Britain |
| Sport | Judo |
| Weight class | –56 kg |
| Rank | 8th dan black belt |
| Achievements and titles | |
| Olympic Games |  (1992) |
| World Champ. |  (1993) |
| European Champ. |  (1992,1993,1995) |
Medal record | |
| Profile at external databases | |
| IJF | 53299 |
| JudoInside.com | 314 |
| Updated on 5 June 2023 | |
Nicola Kim FairbrotherMBE (born 14 May 1970) is a retiredjudoka from the United Kingdom, who competed at two Olympic Games. She holds the 8th Dan and is one of Britain's most prominent judoka.[1]
Fairbrother's first significant success was becoming champion of Great Britain, winning the lightweight division at theBritish Judo Championships in 1989.[2] The following year she gained her first senior international success when she won a bronze medal at the1990 European Judo Championships in Frankfurt.[1]
In 1991, she won a bronze medal at the1991 World Judo Championships in Barcelona[1] and won back to back British titles in 1991 and 1992.[2] During 1992, she was selected to representGreat Britain at the1992 Summer Olympics. She won the silver medal in the women's lightweight division (– 56 kg). In the final she was defeated by Spain'sMiriam Blasco, who later she married. Additionally, she won her first European title at the1992 European Judo Championships in Paris.[1]
The following year in 1993, she successfully defended her European crown and won her second World title, winning gold at the1993 World Judo Championships in Hamilton. European silver in 1994 and European gold in 1995 added to the medal collection[1] before she went to her second Olympic Games, the1996 Summer Olympics, in Atlanta. In thewomen's 56 kg she was unlucky in that she drew the eventual gold medallistDriulis González in the quarter-finals.[3]
In 1998 and 1999, she won her fourth and fifth British Championship titles.[2] She retired from competitive judo at the end of 1999.[3]
In 1994, she was awarded the MBE for services to judo by HM The Queen.
Fairbrother is married toMiriam Blasco. She has authored a number of children's judo books and from 2001 to 2018 she was the editor of the Koka Kids Judo magazine.
