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WHEN Martin Kelly won a bronze medal at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester it represented the high point of a judo career spanning more than two decades.
Mr Kelly, who studied a bachelor of science at the university, followed his Commonwealth Games showing with an Olympics berth in 2004 at Athens.
Throughout the 1990s he won various awards from the university for his sporting prowess, with nominations in 1992 and 1997 for the University Sportsperson of the Year, before winning it in 1998.
During his time in the sport Mr Kelly consistently ranked among the top in his division in the country.
He also completed his Masters of Science at the university, and competed at the East Asian Games in Osaka, Japan, in 2001, where he won a silver medal in the open event and a bronze in the 100-kilogram division.
Competing in the men’s half-heavyweight division, Mr Kelly overcame his share of obstacles to represent at the 2002 Commonwealth Games and 2004 Olympics.
Before qualification for the latter event, he tore his groin during a training camp.
He shook off the injury and won the Oceania tournament to qualify for the Olympics.
At the 2002 Commonwealth Games he was knocked out in an upset loss in the semi-finals.
Mr Kelly recovered from the loss to convincingly beat Northern Ireland’s Mark Montgomery in the bronze medal bout, the pinnacle of his international career.