Olympian Billy Cusack has announced his intention to step down as Assistant High-Performance Coach from the sportscotland Institute of Sport Judo Performance Programme as it transitions to the governance of JudoScotland.
Billy, who represented Team GB at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, was personal coach to Graeme Randall, world champion in 1999. He was lead coach and the personal and mat side coach for five of Team GB’s London 2012 Olympians. Since joining the judo programme in 2009, he has coached some of Scotland’s most successful judo athletes, including Sally Conway (World and European medallist and Scotland’s first Olympic judo medal), Euan Burton (double world bronze medallist), Sarah Adlington (double Commonwealth Games Champion) and Sarah Clark (European Champion).
The six-time British Champion was a key member of the Team Scotland coaching team that led its athletes to an impressive 13 medals from 14 competitors (six gold, two silver, five bronze) at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. This achievement made judo Scotland’s most successful sport at a single Commonwealth Games.
As Billy moves into the next phase of his judo journey, he plans to use his expertise and passion at Edinburgh Judo to break down barriers to participation, strengthen communities, and empower people through judo.
Reflecting on his time with the programme, Billy said:
"I feel I have played my part in building a programme that has enabled elite athletes to compete and be visible on the world stage. Over the past 25 years, Scotland has punched well above its weight, and I am proud to have supported the dreams and ambitions of individual players. I have fond memories of everything we have achieved together, and I want to thank every individual who has played their part.”