REDDITCH'S Laura Dangerfield has become the latest Samurai Judo Club player to gain the grade of third level black belt after getting her final points at the club’s Women’s Open Championships.
Dangerfield entered the women’s high grade section, for second level black belts and above, and won the bronze.
The players elected to compete again for extra contests and the Samurai fighter defeated everybody, including beating another second level black belt from London by maximum points, to gain the tenth win against the same grade or above by maximum points required for promotion.
Dangerfield finished by seeing offa third dan from Oxford in the final.
Still hungry for more judo, she then entered the open category and despite giving a lot of weight away she won all four contests here by maximums to win the gold.
The 25-year-old is the fifth female player from the club to reach that grade, following Kate Walker, Sarah Biles, Carol Leverton and Bev Price.
Samurai are very likely the only club in Britain ever to have five female players reach such a high grade.
She is also a qualified coach, referee, competition official and first aider, so she is very active at the club.
Two years ago, Dangerfield was selected for the Great Britain Senior Squad, the group from which the Olympic squad is selected.
Unfortunately, since then a couple of injuries have hampered her progress, although with four international gold medals under her belt this year she is hopefully on the way back.
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