11/08/2026
And how the family has grown in those years too!
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Family focus part 5! Jude Freeman and Richard Freeman are two people you can really look up to for inspiration and advice in the sport. They set a goal, they smash it, rinse and repeat!
When did you start with Kettlebell sport?
Rich – I had been using bells for a few years during gym workouts before entering my first comp in December 2015. Jude had entered a Pentathlon comp in Aberdeen and I went as a spectator. She had been training with the Titanium Kettlebell sport team in Nottingham. The night before the comp Alan Lyon coerced me into entering. My first Kettlebell comp and I was hooked, I found the camaraderie, supportiveness and the challenge refreshing and motivating.
Jude – yes this IKFF Pentathlon was my first ever comp. Rich had never done any KB sport training but he gave it everything on the platform (nothing has changed there!) and didn’t place last in his category either! I placed 4th in mine and just feel in love with being on the platform
What has the sport done for you as a couple?
Rich - It's given us a common interest which is important, also enabled us to visit places we probably wouldn't have gone to otherwise. It's really great to support Jude; I'm so proud of her achievements as an athlete and her contributions to the England Team both as captain and coach for a number of athletes.
Jude – A funny moment I remember was going out to dinner at a Greek restaurant not long after my first World Championships in Loutraki in 2017. The waiter was pouring my wine and asked if I had ever been to Greece so I said, yes, I recently went to Loutraki. Well it was one of those comedy moments where his jaw dropped and the glass was close to spilling over because more a place that Greeks would visit, not a tourist hotspot!
How has representing England impacted you and your partner?
Rich - Never in my dreams had I ever thought I would be able to represent my country in any kind of competition. For both of us to do this is just amazing.
Jude – I second that, and to have been selected for team England consistently since 2017 has been an honour. But now, the impact for me is on developing new talent, younger athletes who will hopefully enjoy a long and fruitful career in the sport representing England.
What is your favourite memory?
Rich - So many memories. First international comp in Ireland, first medals, first ranking, and first record are all up there. The first time England won the IKMF Championship belt in Belgium in 2022, we'd come a long way in 4 years since Ireland in 2018 where we only had 5 or 6 athletes. But I think the best memory was seeing Jude going head to head in Hungary in November 2023. Whilst Jude came away with silver she was awarded Master of Sport World Class in One Arm Long Cycle marathon which is an incredible achievement.
Jude – Aww, Rich is so sweet, yes I smashed MSWC numbers and got silver – that was my first time doing a marathon! There are lots of memories that stand out – meeting Harry Akines at Bodypower 2018 after our Expo Kettlebell Sport Competition, being awarded the IKMF Denmark Championship Belt for my dedication to the EKA/Team England over the years, being Captain at the IKMF World Championships in Majorca in 2025 and co-Head Judge at the BKSG in York the same year. But I think my favourite memory was being World Champion for the first time at the IGSF World Championships in 2017 just before turning 47 and also getting Bronze in Open category. The rest, as they say, is history!
