Charlie Ayre has been selected to represent Great Britain in the men’s -60kg category at the upcoming World Judo Championships in Baku.

Ayre is one of thirteen Great Britain judoka set to compete at the championships with a mix of previous medallists and debutants heading to one of the most prestigious judo events outside of the Olympic games.

On his preparation and what mindset he is taking to the World Championships, Middlesborough-born Charlie Ayre said: “I think I’m capable of beating anyone on my day as long as I stay disciplined with my Judo and as long as I stay focused on whatever the task at hand is that I’ve set myself for that contest, then I’ve got a very good chance of winning it so I’m quite excited to go and express my judo again, as it’s arguably the biggest competition that I’ve done, so it will be nice to be out on that stage and testing myself.”

“We’ve had quite a few competitions almost back to back, we had Switzerland Grand Slam and then Budapest Grand Prix so it’s been good to get a lot of time on the mat and although I didn’t medal at either I picked up some good wins so it’s been good staying sharp in that sense … personally I’m in quite good shape so I’m looking forward to it.”

The event in November will also mark a major milestone in Ayre’s career, as he will make his Senior World Championships debut around 12 months after making the step up to the senior ranks.

Four other debutants will also be heading to Baku, with Great Britain up-and-coming stars looking to round off what has been an exceptional 2026 for many of their Judoka.

On being one of the debutants at the championships, 20 year old Ayre said: “It’s really exciting but we’ve got a good group that have performed well so far this year, it’s not just one person that’s medalling there’s a lot of us that have picked up world tour medals or performed well at the European Championships and Commonwealth Games so it’s a really good feeling going into it and hopefully we all deliver.”

In his first twelve months as a senior judoka, Ayre has won four international medals, two silver and two bronze medals, including his first ITJ World Tour medal, which he secured with a silver at the Qingdao Grand Prix.

However, one of his biggest achievements this year came in the form of a bronze medal at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games, in which he helped England to finish as the most successful judo nation.

On his successes this year, British men’s -60kg number one Ayre said: "Obviously being a first-year senior, it’s never going to be entirely straightforward, but it's been a good year so far. Some things could have gone better, but overall it’s been positive, and I’m pleased with my judo’s trajectory.

“It was great to be able to medal at almost a home game, so to speak, and to have my family and friends there, but as I mentioned, that was one of the things that could have gone better, as it would have been nice to have won it, but that’s judo, I suppose.”

Ahead of the World Championships, Ayre is ranked (currently) 43rd in the world senior men’s -60kg rankings after cumulating 1101 points in the past twelve months, meaning that from June 2026 he has climbed 53 places.

Ayre is looking to carry on his year of success, alongside the World Championships, as he hopes to have done enough to compete in the World Masters, which is ‘almost like an invitational’, ahead of selection in December.

On his plans for the upcoming months, the six-time international medallist Ayre said: “So there’s the World Masters, which is the top 36 I believe, it’s almost like an invitational so my aim is to be in the top 36 by the time that deadline comes around and that’s just before Christmas so that obviously includes me needing to have a good performance at the World Championships.”

“We’ve got a few Grand Slams and Grand Prixs before that, so just to keep performing consistently and hopefully break into the top 36 and then go from there for the rest of the qualification.”

The Baku World Senior Championships 2026 will take place between 4 – 10 October with the men’s -60kg category set to compete on the opening day of the competition.