Wikipedia

Loretta Doyle

Loretta Doyle (also known by her married name Cusack, born 12 July 1963)[1] is a Scottish judoka who won the under-52kg event at the 1982 World Judo Championships, and the under-56 kg event at the 1990 Commonwealth Games. Doyle also won European Judo Championships titles in 1983 and 1992.

Loretta Doyle
Personal information
Full nameLoretta Cusack-Doyle
Born (1963-07-12) 12 July 1963 (age 61)
Spouse
​
(divorced)​
Achievements and titles
World finals1982
Regional finals1983, 1992
Commonwealth finals1986, 1990
Medal record
Representing  Great Britain
World Judo Championships
Bronze medal – third place 1980 New York U52
Gold medal – first place 1982 Paris U52
European Judo Championships
Bronze medal – third place 1980 Udine U56
Silver medal – second place 1981 Madrid U52
Silver medal – second place 1982 Oslo U52
Gold medal – first place 1983 Genoa U52
Bronze medal – third place 1986 London U52
Silver medal – second place 1991 Prague U52
Gold medal – first place 1992 Paris U52
Representing  Scotland
Commonwealth Games
Gold medal – first place 1990 Auckland U56

Career

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Doyle started judo at the age of 10, and three years later, she joined the British Judo team.[2] Doyle competed at the inaugural World Judo Championships for women in 1980. She was one of seven judoka at the event, and won a bronze medal.[3] She came third at the 1980 European Judo Championships, and second at the 1981 and 1982 European Judo Championships.[1] She won the under-52 kg title at the 1982 World Judo Championships.[4] In 1983, Doyle won the under-52 kg event at the European Judo Championships in Genoa, Italy.[2][1] Doyle had to pay her own costs to compete at the 1984 World Judo Championships; she had to borrow the money from her father.[5] In the Championships, Doyle suffered a separated shoulder and had to be taken to hospital.[6]

Doyle came third in the judo demonstration event at the 1986 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh, Scotland.[3] That year, she lost the British Open Championships final to Sharon Rendle. Rendle was chosen instead of Doyle for the 1986 World Judo Championships.[7] That year, Doyle also came third at the 1986 European Judo Championships event in London.[1] Doyle lost in the first round of the 1989 European Judo Championships.[8]

Doyle won the lightweight event (under-56 kg)[9] at the 1990 Commonwealth Games, beating Australian Suzanne Williams in the final.[10] It was Scotland's first judo medal at a Commonwealth Games.[11] She came second in the under-52 kg event at the 1991 European Judo Championships, losing to Jessica Gal in the final.[12] Doyle won the under-52 kg event at the 1992 European Judo Championships in Paris, France.[1] Doyle was not selected for the 1992 Summer Olympics.[3] In addition to her international success, she won eight British titles at the British Judo Championships.[13]

After retiring, Doyle worked as a coach for the British Judo Association.[14] In that role, Doyle coached Sally Conway.[15] In 2019, she set up the Loretta Doyle Judo Foundation, to help fund young judo enthusiasts.[16]

Personal life

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Doyle was married to Billy Cusack, who won a bronze medal at the 1990 Commonwealth Games in the men's lightweight judo event;[17] the pair were married before Doyle's appearance at the 1986 Commonwealth Games.[3] The pair have two children, and Doyle found out that she was first pregnant when she went for a medical examination prior to the 1992 Olympic selection. She said she was disappointed not to be selected, but "delighted" that she was pregnant. The pair are now divorced.[3]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "Loretta Doyle". Judo Inside. Archived from the original on 8 May 2021. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Loretta Cusack-Doyle: What judo can teach us about life". CNN. 26 April 2018. Archived from the original on 24 January 2021. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
  3. ^ a b c d e "First Women's World Championships #5 - Catching Up with Loretta Doyle". British Judo Association. 20 November 2020. Archived from the original on 3 June 2021. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
  4. ^ "Judo". The Observer. 8 January 1984. p. 46. Archived from the original on 4 June 2021. Retrieved 4 June 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Parkinson must lay down the law on fund-raising". The Guardian. 8 September 1984. p. 15. Archived from the original on 4 June 2021. Retrieved 4 June 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Doyle is defeated by injury". The Guardian. 12 November 1984. p. 23. Archived from the original on 4 June 2021. Retrieved 4 June 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Briggs throws off injury". The Guardian. 29 September 1986. p. 27. Archived from the original on 4 June 2021. Retrieved 4 June 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Only Briggs keeps her head- and feet - as Britons take a tumble". The Guardian. 13 May 1989. Archived from the original on 4 June 2021. Retrieved 4 June 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Judo". The Guardian. 13 May 1992. Archived from the original on 4 June 2021. Retrieved 4 June 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Angry insect takes the sting out of judo champ". The Age. 3 February 1990. p. 30. Archived from the original on 4 June 2021. Retrieved 4 June 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Rick Kenney: Galashiels judo stalwart to get OBE from Queen". Border Telegraph. 15 October 2020. Archived from the original on 22 October 2020. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
  12. ^ "British left with three silvers as Inman's women all go out". The Guardian. 20 May 1991. p. 15. Archived from the original on 4 June 2021. Retrieved 4 June 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "British Championships - Event results". Judo Inside. Retrieved 21 August 2022.
  14. ^ "Loretta Cusack-Doyle, 8th Dan". British Judo Association. Archived from the original on 2 June 2021. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
  15. ^ "No 12: Sally Conway, judo player". The Independent. 17 December 2006. p. 63. Archived from the original on 4 June 2021. Retrieved 4 June 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ "Loretta Cusack-Doyle to Launch the "Loretta Doyle Judo Foundation" Charity". British Judo Association. 21 October 2019. Archived from the original on 26 February 2021. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
  17. ^ "Kenyans protest at 'racist judging'". Evening Standard. 2 February 1990. p. 119. Archived from the original on 4 June 2021. Retrieved 4 June 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
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