RISING Kidderminster judo star Kate Walker's Olympic dream took a step forward after being named as a reserve for the Great Britain squad going to Beijing this summer.

The 18-year-old, a member of Samurai Judo Club, has been placed on standby for Sarah Clark in the under-63 kilogram weight section after a brilliant year so far.

Walker is the reigning British Junior, Senior, Universities, English Senior Open and Welsh Open Champion and has not been beaten in this country since February 2007, a run of 46 consecutive wins against the best fighters in the country.

Selection confirms her place as one of the top up-and-coming stars and also improves her chances of being selected for the 2012 games in London.

Samurai founder Andrew Haffner said: "This confirms that Kate is one of the country's most highly regarded competitors. It puts her in good stead for the London 2012 Olympics, when she will be at her peak.

"We're all keeping our fingers crossed that Sarah stays fit but this is an important moment for Kate."

With Clark aged 35 by the time of the London games and Walker set to be reaching the peak of her powers, she is clearly one of the main contenders for the Great Britain squad.

She continued her progression in international competitions, finishing seventh at the Russian Open.

After three good wins, she bowed out of the competition when she lost to her weight category's eventual winner.

Now she is training in the Russian camp for a few days, where she has the chance to fight informally against the players from other countries who were at the event.

Walker normally trains each day for around two hours on the mat, as well as a further two hours a day in the gym on carefully prepared programmes.

Weekends are often spent either at events or on training camps, either in Britain or abroad.