SAMURAI Judo Club fighter Kelly Edwards won her first major international medal at the European Under-20s Championships in Poland.
Edwards edged out an opponent in the bronze medal play-offs, while clubmate Kate Walker finished ninth in her weight category.
The duo had earned their place in the tournament after winning their weight categories in the British Junior and Senior Trials.
The championships were also part of the duo’s preparations for the World Junior Championships in October.
Walker had a tough task after being placed in a testing side of the draw, but started well with a victory over an opponent from Turkey.
She then lost to a Ukrainian fighter and needed her victor to win the next round to secure her a place in the play-offs for bronze.
However, the Ukranian lost to the eventual winner in the last eight, eliminating Walker and ensuring she finished in ninth place out of 41 fighters.
Edwards got the the better of a fighter from the Czech Republic but lost to a Turkish opponent in the second round.
She qualified for the bronze play-off because of the Turk’s success in reaching the semi-finals.
Against the Swiss number one, Edwards defended a slender lead to earn her first major medal.
Anyone interested in starting judo or learning more information about Samurai can call Andrew Haffner on 0776 1122977 or visit www.samurai.org.uk
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