Olympic dreams for Sean Choi

htw260112jj01 NO HOLDS BARRED: Sean Choi goes into battle for an Olympic dream.

Hamilton's judo champion Sean Choi is chasing his Olympic dream to represent New Zealand at the London spectacle later this year.

Sitting 30th on the world rankings, the 25-year-old needs to show his best form at competitions in Europe during the next three weeks and at the Oceania tournament in April to make the Olympics.

He intends to make the most of the premier European judo championships.

"I will be trying my best because this will be my first time at tournaments in 10 months," he says.

The newly-graduated police officer and former Hillcrest High student moved to New Zealand from Korea with his family about 10 years ago and started in the sport a few years earlier on the advice of his father.

"My dad told me to do it, so I did," he says, laughing.

"What I like about judo is it is all about action and reaction," he says.

Sean, a member of the Metro Judo Club, can train three times a day but his work with the Hamilton police often means he only manages one daily session.

He hopes a training camp after the Paris Grand Slam, Austria World Cup and Germany Grand Prix will be a good chance to exclusively concentrate on judo.

Although work consumes a lot of his time, Sean says his police bosses have been supportive, allowing him time off and sponsorship to help with his expenses.

As with a lot of minor sports in New Zealand, judo is mostly self-funded by the individual athletes and Sean says while sponsorship is thin on the ground, he's grateful to John Lawrenson, who owns Bar 101, Furnace, Keystone and various other Hamilton bars, for his financial backing.