Loretta Doyle
British judoka (born 1963)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Loretta Doyle (also known by her married name Cusack, born 12 July 1963)[3] is a Scottish judoka who won the under-52 kg event at the 1982 World Championships, and the under-56 kg event at the 1990 Commonwealth Games. Doyle also won the European Championships in 1983 and 1992.
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| Full name | Loretta Cusack-Doyle | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 12 July 1963 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Occupation | Judoka | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Spouse | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country | Great Britain | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Judo | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight class | –52 kg, –56 kg | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rank | 9th dan black belt[1][2] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Achievements and titles | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Champ. | 
(1982) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| European Champ. | 
(1983, 1992) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Commonwealth Games |  (1990) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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| Profile at external databases | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| IJF | 14988 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| JudoInside.com | 4924 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Updated on 3 February 2025 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Career
Doyle started judo at the age of 10, and three years later, she joined the British Judo team.[4] Doyle competed at the inaugural World Judo Championships for women in New York 1980. She was one of seven judoka at the event, and won a bronze medal.[5] She came third at the 1980 European Championships, and second at the 1981 and 1982 European Championships.[3] She won the under-52 kg title at the 1982 World Championships.[6] Doyle won the under-52 kg event at the 1983 European Championships in Genoa, Italy.[4][3] Doyle had to pay her own costs to compete at the 1984 World Championships; she had to borrow the money from her father.[7] In the Championships, Doyle suffered a separated shoulder and had to be taken to hospital.[8]
Doyle came second at the 1986 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh, Scotland where judo was a demonstration sport.[5] That year, she lost the British Open Championships final to Sharon Rendle. Rendle was chosen instead of Doyle for the 1986 World Championships.[9] That year, Doyle also came third at the 1986 European Championships in London.[3] Doyle lost in the first round of the 1989 European Championships.[10]
Doyle won the lightweight event (under-56 kg)[11] at the 1990 Commonwealth Games, beating Australian Suzanne Williams in the final.[12] It was Scotland's first medal in Judo at the Commonwealth Games.[13] She came second in the under 52 kg event at the 1991 European Championships, losing to Jessica Gal in the final.[14] Doyle won the under-52 kg event at the 1992 European Championships in Paris, France.[3] Doyle was not selected for the 1992 Summer Olympics.[5] In addition to her international success, she won eight British titles at the British Judo Championships.[15]
After retiring, Doyle worked as a coach for the British Judo Association.[16] In that role, Doyle coached Sally Conway.[17] In 2019, she set up the Loretta Doyle Judo Foundation, to help fund young judo enthusiasts.[18]
Personal life
Doyle was married to Billy Cusack, who won a bronze medal at the 1990 Commonwealth Games in the men's lightweight judo event;[19] the pair were married before Doyle's appearance at the 1986 Commonwealth Games.[5] The pair have two children, and Doyle found out that she was first pregnant when she went for a medical examination prior to the 1992 Olympic selection. She said she was disappointed not to be selected, but "delighted" that she was pregnant. The pair are now divorced.[5]
