YORK judo titan Rob Thomas has taken a Rocky road to Canada - but he does not mind a jot.

Thomas jets out this weekend primed to sign off more than two decades of international competition. His destination is Toronto for his fourth - and sadly - his final crack at the World Masters championships.

At the age of 40 and about to become a granddad this autumn when his daughter Rebecca is due to give birth to her first child, Thomas told the Evening Press that his Canada high will be his international farewell.

It's been an emotional build-up to the championships, which four years ago afforded him a return to top-class combat after two years in exile, but then it always is.

As part of his usual preparation, Thomas tuned into to a well-watched recording of the first Rocky film. As he revealed to the Evening Press: "It's always been part of my preparation for any championships I've been in - it's become a habit rather than a superstition and it's something I've stuck with again before going out to Canada."

After he lands in Canada Thomas has five training sessions planned before opening his campaign in the Hershey Centre a week today. That will be in the over-100 kilogram class, which he hopes to negotiate to take him into the open discipline and a cherished place on the medal podium.

The closest Thomas has come to a World Masters medal was in last year's event in Austria, where he was sixth in the 100-kilogram class only to then just miss out on a bronze medal after being pipped by a Brazilian foe in the open category. That followed on from his sixth position in the 2003 World Masters held in Japan, the spiritual domain of martial arts.

He admitted to being 'quietly confident' about success in Canada, even though his planned exit from the international arena will be done without any of his close family being present.

His restrained confidence is founded on his last outing, the renowned High Wycombe Masters championships, where he plundered a silver medal and also gained his exalted Fifth Dan black-belt status after dusting off three opponents in successive bouts within a minute of the four minutes allotted for each bout.

"That showed that I had the necessary experience and skill and I'm hoping that will put me in good stead for next week in Canada," said York's own judo master.

Updated: 10:37 Friday, June 17, 2005