It comes as little surprise that Lexi Buchanan is emerging as one of Scotland’s brightest judo talents in quite some time given her pedigree.
Buchanan is the daughter of GB internationalists John and Clare Buchanan and, along with her two brothers, she’s been immersed in judo for as long as she can remember.
“I really can’t remember a time when I wasn’t doing judo - from when I was tiny, I was fighting in the house with my brothers, or we were going at it on the mat, Buchanan says.
“Growing up, we were fighting literally all the time, and that’s not stopped actually."
Despite being only 15 years old, Buchanan is already a mainstay of the national squad and she has her sights set on making an impact on the international scene this year.
Last month, she won Scottish titles at cadet, junior and senior level in the same weekend and this was despite her 2024 season being disrupted by a broken collarbone earlier in the year.
“The goal this weekend is to get gold at cadet, junior and senior,” says the ambitious West Lothian teenager.
“But really, I just want to perform well and try to throw people for ippon. I try to think about the process, not the result.”
Buchanan has to navigate the sometimes tricky situation of having her dad, who runs the Linlithgow-based Sportif judo club, double-up as her coach.
With her father having won multiple British titles, as well as Commonwealth Games and World Championship silverware, he has no shortage of experience to pass onto his daughter but Buchanan does admit their exchanges can occasionally get heated in comparison to her chats with other coaches.
“Sometimes I’ll think he's just a dad, and then I’ll be doing randori with him and I’m like, oh no, he's beating me up,” she says.
“It’s good having my dad coach me because he’s always there to chat about things, but I definitely give him more cheek than I do the other coaches.”
Buchanan already has several major targets in her sights.
“The big picture is to go to the Olympics and become Olympic champion,” she says.
“But shorter-term, the Commonwealth Games next year in Glasgow is definitely in my thoughts.
“I was in the stands at the Commonwealth Games in 2014 when my dad won bronze - I was only five so I don't remember much but I do remember the crowd going crazy for him.
“It’d be cool to be there myself next year - my family would all be there supporting me like we did for my dad.”
Glasgow 2026 is not only a goal for Buchanan; her elder brother, Joe, who also became Scottish champion last month, is aiming for selection for Team Scotland, too.
The pair are, admits Buchanan, hugely competitive and she's well aware that their sibling rivalry has likely contributed to her success so far, and will continue to benefit her going forwards.
“Joe and me are very competitive - watching Joe do well makes me want to win even more. We’re constantly pushing each other on,” she says.
“When we fight though, he never, ever goes easy on me because I’m a girl.
“That’s toughened me up, for sure.”
