Kate competes with Euro elite (From Worcester News)

Kate competes with Euro elite

8:00pm Wednesday 2nd December 2009

• Print
• Email
• Share
• Comments(0)

SAMURAI Judo Club’s Kate Walker was seventh at the European Under 23s Championships for the second year running.

But, whereas in 2008 the Olympic hopeful just scraped into seventh, this year she looked much stronger and was unlucky not to go further.

Great Britain sent only eight of their best players to Turkey for the 14 weight groups which involved 40 countries.

The Kidderminster 20-year-old is the only Worcestershire player to ever compete at this high level.

Walker won her first contest against Croatian Andreja Dakovic with a high score early on.

Against Slovakian Ivana Komlosiova, another high score gave Walker a place in the quarter-finals against Eszter Gaspar, of Hungary.

Gaspar had just beaten the world’s best player at this level, Holland’s Antoinnette Hennink, in the previous round and was clearly on a high.

She forced Walker back and eventually gained the breakthrough score, defending it with her experience.

In the first of two bronze medal contests, Walker faced Poland’s Agata Ozdoba.

But the Polish woman was physically strong and seemed able to out-grip her English opponent.

Walker was left in seventh spot after falling to a low score.

But she has two more years left at this level so there is plenty of time to gain an elusive medal.

She now flies out to Japan for two weeks training before the British Senior Trials in January.

• Print
• Email
• Share
• Comments(0)