After retiring from judo for a second time as Commonwealth champion in 2014, youd think Euan Burton would have quietly stepped i

After retiring from judo for a second time as Commonwealth champion in 2014, youd think Euan Burton would have quietly stepped into an office job that didnt involve throwing people on to mats. Brandon Spikes College Jersey . Not his style. The 37-year-old now keeps himself busy hurling his wife across the floor… and getting paid for it! Burton, born in Ascot, is leading the judo performance programme for his adopted Scotland in Edinburgh.Gemma Gibbons, AKA Mrs Burton and Olympic silver medalist in 2012, is continuing her qualifying battle for Rio and she couldnt have a better mentor and coach in her corner.Her husband reveals why he made a U-turn on quitting the sport, his love affair with Scotland and how being a Sky Academy Sports Scholar ignited his career.I was on the podium at the Commonwealths and I just felt relief. I was in Glasgow, in front of a sell-out home crowd, Scottish flags were everywhere and everyone was screaming. It was the perfect way to hang up my judo kit and I thought this has been a good career.There were 24 months to Rio and I had moved up two weight categories to 100kg. I had been fighting at 81kg which meant a lot of dieting. My natural progression was to move to 90 but because I was coaching those three fighters trying to qualify at that same weight I would have felt very uncomfortable going against them! Mr and Mrs Burton with Euan adding an MBE to his collection for his judo career It turned out that I had done something pretty special.The Olympic level is something very different. My body was getting older and my ability and motivation to go through the torture at the elite level was probably waning! I would be 37 in Rio and I wasnt willing to be at an Olympics just to take part. Winning a medal didnt feel realistic so I was happy to let the younger guys take over!I first gave up judo after the 2012 Olympics which hadnt gone to plan. I had the desire and drive to win a medal but that didnt materialise. I moved into coaching and was working with the Scottish athletes aiming for the Commonwealth Games and we had high aspirations being a home Games.A year after London I was just a coach keeping my eye on the mat. All my focus was on the coaching, but I had never competed for Scotland having always fought under the Union Jack for Britain at the major competitions.I had spent my whole career training in Scotland and I was very proud to be a Scottish athlete and I thought that if I could give something back and win a medal it would be good for me and Scotland and to end my career.I was training so much in those last six months. I was then told to focus on winning a medal in the last three months! Fortunately I won gold and it was the most successful Commonwealths ever for Scotland and for judo - It was 30 medals, 14 athletes, six golds - not a bad return!I was a Scholar in the build-up to London 2012 and it helped in so many ways. Something I became of aware of very quickly was the level and professionalism of the profile of myself as an athlete and judo as a sport. Crazy scenes in Glasgow as Burton is crowned Commonwealth champion in 2014 We werent stupid because many people didnt know what judo was but driving in Edinburgh seeing the Sky branding and the Team GB branding on a bus stop was amazing and for people to view me as athlete and to make people think thats a sport our kids could do was incredible - that was a major benefit.I got texted from people at bus stops beside my picture saying youre not looking too bad as an old man! It represented the sport in a good way. People involved in judo are very passionate and they wished more people knew about judo and so getting feedback from Sky and how well youre coming across gave me a good feeling. Seeing your face on the big posters was unreal though! It was almost embarrassing but in a very good way. Boosting the profile of the sport is something Im very proud of.I didnt capitalise with a medal but my wife did with a silver at London. She took everybodys hearts.The amount of time and work you put into your sport, the money you make is often disproportionate and so getting the support from the Scholarship scheme was just a fantastic feeling. It was small things like getting those experiences visiting the Sky studios understanding how to promote yourself, how the industry works and what makes a good story.It taught me how to deliver my story in a 30-second snippet in front of camera. That makes a big difference as an athlete. Being able to present and talk to people now, you cannot underestimate how big an impact those experiences can have on you going forward.One amazing thing about the Scholarships was the variety of athletes. We had gymnast Louis Smith and swimmer Liam Tancock and we were all brought together for promotion. You can get caught up in a bubble of your own sport and it was so good to share experiences of other sports with people who went through similar things. Born in England, but Burton is now helping to propel Scotlands top judo athletes on the worlds stage I was always trying to learn and take the good from what anybody is doing and that was very beneficial. I picked up so many little ideas on adjusting training or preparing better.For any new Scholars, I would recommend them embracing all the opportunities. Get out of your comfort zone! Certain experiences will fill you with dread and youll wonder how youll cope. But anything that challenges you help you develop.Theyll need to understand its such a huge honour to be a Scholar and such a huge opportunity to meet people and learn. Even a tiny fraction of their ability as an athlete can mean the difference between standing or not standing on the podium.Being the national high performance coach is challenging but my goal is to do well, particularly with athletes heading to the Rio Olympics and Paralympics. I want those guys to be as well prepared as possible and hopefully we can put them in a place to deliver something special.WHATS COMING UP FOR OUR SCHOLARS19 - 27 MAY: Savannah Marshall, World Championships in Kazakhstan22 - 30 MAY: Sam Oldham, Europan Gymnastics Championships in Switzerland Also See: Euan Burton wins Commonwealth gold Sport Scotland British Judo Council Euan Burton on Twitter About the Scholarship Meet the athletes Blogs Videos Galleries Stitched Florida Jerseys . - Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Jason Babin is now a free agent. Emmitt Smith College Jersey . Messier, who had been a special assistant to Rangers general manager Glen Sather, announced Thursday in a statement that he is resigning in order to "expand the game of hockey in the New York area by developing the Kingsbridge National Ice Center. http://www.cheapfloridajerseys.com/?tag=florida-jeff-driskel-college-jersey . Maria Silvia Bastos Marques, president of the EOM (Municipal Olympic Company), will be leaving her post but will remain as an advisor, a city hall statement said Tuesday.BOSTON - The Boston Bruins are keeping teenage forward David Pastrnak up with the big club, thus using up the first year of his entry level contract.Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli made the announcement Thursday night after the first period of Bostons home game against the New York Rangers.Weve decided that David Pastrnak is going to stay with us for a while and play past his ninth game, Chiarelli said.The 18-year old rookie has scored two goals in each of his previous two gamess, playing on the top line with winger Milan Lucic and centre David Krejci. Cheap Florida Jerseys Authentic. ike I explained to him, This is the next step. It doesnt mean its a lock, nothings guaranteed. Youve earned it, Chiarelli said.Boston will play Columbus on Saturday night and Chiarelli said Pastrnak will be with the team for that game — his 10th in the NHL.Chiarelli said Pastrnak — the No. 25 pick in the 2014 draft — might go back to play for Providence of the AHL during this season. 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