FORMER world judo champion Neil Adams is set to make an appearance in the city later this month as part of York Railway Institute Judo Club's golden jubilee celebrations.

Adams, three times world champ and twice Olympic silver medallist, will be at the Queen Street gymnasium on Saturday, July 26.

He is set to pass on his talents in special coaching sessions for both senior and junior members of the York club, and also present trophies to youngsters.

A former European champion, Adams, from Coydon won Great Britain's first world judo medal in Maastricht, Holland, in 1981.

He gained silver medals at the Olympics in Moscow in 1980 and Los Angeles four years later.

York RI Judo Club is one of the country's oldest clubs, and is currently one of the best performing clubs in the region, as the recent Invitation Junior Judo Championships at Scarborough showed.

Sixteen of the York juniors won 12 medals between them, including six golds, at the Championships.

RI has over 50 members training every week, and over the past year several of them have represented their county and Great Britain in competitions.

Members of York RI, including their medal winners from the Invitation Junior Judo Championships, are pictured on the left.

Back row, from left to right: Mike Tansey (15yrs, 4th Mon; silver), Lynsey Ellwood (15yrs, 10th Mon), Oliver Strike (11yrs, 2nd Mon; silver), Dan Tansey (11yrs, 8th Mon; gold), Simon Hill (2nd Dan, senior coach), Joshua Pethullis (8yrs, 2nd Mon; gold), Grace Foster (9yrs, 4th Mon; silver), Nick Leach (11yrs, 4th Mon; bronze), Eleanor Stevenson (9yrs, 6th Mon; gold).

Front row, from left to right: Charlie Anderson (10yrs, 4th Mon), Alex Stevenson (10yrs, 8th Mon; silver), Jack Midgley (9yrs, 4th Mon; gold), James Rudge (10yrs, 6th Mon; gold), Barry Kell (9yrs, 6th Mon; silver), Sam Leach (9yrs, 4th Mon), Richard Rogers (14yrs, 14th Mon; gold), Joseph Coombs (12yrs, 3rd Mon).

Updated: 09:54 Tuesday, July 08, 2003