JUDO is making its Commonwealth Youth Games debut in the Bahamas this month and a third of Team Scotland’s squad are from West Fife.

Emma Forrest and Fiona Todman are two of six judoka that will make Scottish history at the Games by competing in the sport and the Destination Judo Club duo can’t wait for the action to begin.

Judo was Team Scotland’s most successful sport at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow three years ago and included Duloch-based star Stephanie Inglis winning silver in the women’s under-57kg event.

With judo having been Scotland’s most successful sport at each of three Commonwealth Games where it has featured, hopes are high for the young stars’ prospects and the Dunfermline pair will go into the competition with an impressive array of success under their belts.

Forrest, who will compete at 48kg, has twice been a British Championships bronze medallist at under-15 level, while last year she took medals at the Northern Ireland Cadet Open, Heart of England Junior Championships and Sportif international, as well as representing Great Britain at the Cadet European Cup.

The 16-year-old continued her run of success into this year, winning silver at the Northern Ireland Open and bronze at the English Open, and she said: “It is a huge honour to be representing my country at this event and it makes it even more special as it is in the Bahamas. I cannot wait to compete and I’m also looking forward to the whole experience of watching Team Scotland compete in other sports, and meeting people from new countries.

“I would like to thank my coaches at Destination Judo and Danderhall Judo Club for their support, Judo Scotland for giving me this opportunity and, of course, my family for the ongoing encouragement they give me.”

Meanwhile, Todman, 17, will go into competition in the 48kg category on the back of winning gold at the English Cadet Open and bronze at both the Northern Ireland Open and the Matsumae Cup in Denmark, the latter of which she saw her compete in a higher weight category.

She was also a silver medallist at both the British Cadet and British Junior championships last year, and commented: “After so many hours of training, it feels fantastic to be selected for Team Scotland. I think the competition will have an amazing atmosphere and I’m excited to meet other athletes and just be part of a multi-sport event.”

British cadet champion Louis Saez (90kg), British number one Emily Ritchie (70kg+), Connor Wilson (60kg) and Ryan Quigley (73kg) make up the remainder of Scotland’s judo team.