Team Bath's Adam Hall returns for Commonwealth Games after eight-year retirement
The University of Bath judo coach is going for gold in his competition comeback
University of Bath judo coach Adam Hall is making a notable comeback at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games, hoping to achieve a golden finish.
After stepping away from competition eight years ago, Hall returns to the mat as part of the Northern Ireland squad in the men's +100kg division, with his event scheduled for 2nd August.
Hall began his coaching career following his retirement, working first as an assistant before succeeding Juergen Klinger as High-Performance Judo Coach at the University of Bath in 2020.
Although he coached Team England at the Birmingham 2022 Games, Hall felt a competitive void that the Commonwealth Games could fill.
Success at the English Senior Open, coupled with a bronze at the European Cup in Latvia, proved Hall still had competitive prowess, earning him a place at Glasgow.
“I think some of my training squad are coming to watch,” said Hall, whose mother was born in Northern Ireland. “The support will be really nice but it might bring a different kind of pressure as well, I’m going to have to practice what I preach.
“A gold medal would be really good – go big or go home. I’ll train the best I can, prep the best I can, show up in the best condition I possibly can and go for it.”
Prior to Glasgow, Hall organised a Team Bath Judo training camp at the University of Bath's Sports Training Village, welcoming nearly 100 judoka, from promising youths to international competitors.
The camp was preceded by the West of England Open at the STV, marking a record turnout with over 500 entries across the two-day event.
"We’ve had around 300 entries for previous competitions, so going past the 500 mark has been fantastic," Hall said. It was a chance to showcase Team Bath's objectives and the University of Bath's contribution to judo development.