Caterham High pupil Niru Punniyamorthy, 13, from Hainault, took first place after three successful bouts at the British schools finals.
Niru, who has a hearing impairment and only took up the sport eight months ago, went up against competitors from schools all over the UK.
“I didn’t expect to do so well as I’ve only been competing a short time,” he said. “It was a shock coming home with a gold medal. But I am going to keep competing because I really enjoy judo.”
The other two Caterham pupils, 12-year-olds Jamie Poole and Aarav Bhatt, helped secure all three top places for the school.
Jamie won the silver and Aarav the bronze.
Adaptive judo means youngsters with disabilities can take part in the competitive sport at national level, the school said.
PE teacher Turan Kiani, who also runs his own judo club in Dagenham, said: “Our weekly adaptive judo has been getting more popular. But for all three pupils to win medals is an achievement, especially as it was their first-ever competition.
“Adaptive judo is an inclusive sport that youngsters might not think of but it gives them self-confidence.”
The staff gave up their weekend to support their three champion pupils in the quest for medals.
