KIDDERMINSTER judo star Kate Walker’s hopes of her highest ever finish at the European Under-23 Championships ended in disappointment as she finished ninth in Sarajevo.

The Samurai Judo Club member had been in bullish mood over her chances of improving on two consecutive seventh-places.

However, the 21-year-old had only just recovered from a shoulder injury which kept her out of action for much of the year and her lack of tournament sharpness was telling.

The Europeans are one of the toughest tournaments in the world, with 40 countries sending their top players.

Eighteen countries were represented in Kate’s category, the women’s under 63-kilogram group.

Walker started well but was eventually eliminated by the Austrian number one and old foe Marie Priesner.

The fighters have tussled on several occasions, with honours even, but this time Walker was on the losing end.

The Samurai student had started the fight strongly and had thrown her opponent to the ground but a Priesner groundhold ensured she tasted defeat.

Defeat just before the semi-final meant Walker just missed out on the repechage, so she had to settle for ninth place.

Great Britain head coach Patrick Roux said: “It was too soon after her return from injury for Kate to be back at her best. At performance level, you need a longer preparation time to hit peak.

“However, it was still worth doing this event for the feedback and experience.”

Samurai Judo coach Andrew Haffner also felt that the shoulder injury which plagued her throughout the year played an important role in her defeat.

He said: "It’s been an annus horriblis this year because of that shoulder injury and it’s taken a long time to get it fully right, but at least we are over that now, so hopefully the new year will be a fresh start. Kate is off to Japan to train in December and then we gear up for the British Trials at the end of January.”

Meanwhile, Ian Malhotra has become the latest Samurai player to gain his black belt.

Malhotra started judo just four years ago at the club and has been training hard ever since.

He won a number of medals in competitions and has been on the annual club trip to the Alicante International training camp for the last three years, where he has distinguished himself. His aim was to get his black belt before his 19th birthday, which he managed with just two weeks to spare.

Anyone who wants more details about starting judo or information about Samurai can call Haffner on 07761 122977 or visit the Samurai website on www.samurai.org.uk