Neil Adams (judoka)

Neil Adams
8th Dan, MBE

Neil Adams at the 2012 Summer Olympics.
Personal information
Birth name	Neil Adrian Adams
Nationality	England
Born	(1958-09-27) 27 September 1958 (age 58) Rugby, Warwickshire
Residence	Coventry
Height	1.77 m (5 ft 10 in)
Weight	78 kg (172 lb; 12.3 st)
Sport
Country	Great Britain
Sport	Judo
Rank	hachidan
Medal record Men's Judo Representing  United Kingdom Olympic Games 1980 Moscow -71 kg 1984 Los Angeles -78 kg World Championships 1981 Maastricht -78 kg 1983 Moscow -78 kg 1979 Paris -71 kg 1985 Seoul -78 kg European Championships 1979 Brussels -71 kg 1980 Vienna -78 kg 1983 Paris -78 kg 1984 Liege -78 kg 1985 Hamar -78 kg 1977 Ludwigshafen -71 kg 1978 Helsinki -71 kg 1982 Rostock -78 kg

Neil Adrian Adams, MBE (born 27 September 1958 in Rugby, Warwickshire) is an English judoka who won numerous Olympic and World Championship medals in judo representing Great Britain.

Adams was educated at Myton School in Warwick. Adams' brother was the late professional wrestling star Chris Adams, who himself had a successful career in judo before turning to pro wrestling in 1978.

Adams was the first British male to win a World title, and the first British male to simultaneously hold a world title and a European title. Other achievements include a gold medal at the 1981 World Judo Championships in Maastricht, the Netherlands, plus silver medals in the 1980 and 1984 Summer Olympic Games and the 1983 Judo World Championships. Adams was also five-time European Champion. On 20 September 2008 he was promoted to 8th Dan at the age of 49.

Since retiring, Adams has run a coach education business called Neil Adams Effective Fighting, as well as teaching Judo around the world.

He was national coach of VJF judo in Belgium. He then became head coach of the Welsh Judo Association, a position he took on after being asked to take up the role by close friend and chairman of the association Keven Williams, a position he resigned in March 2009.

Having in the 1980s been engaged to British Olympic swimming star Sharron Davies, Adams has since the 1990s been married to former Canadian Olympic Judoka Niki Jenkins. The couple have two daughters, and the family lives in Coventry.