Wiltshire’s Jemima Duxberry defeated some of the continent’s finest young players to capture a bronze medal at the Polish Cadet European Cup event in Sczcyrk on Saturday 22nd May.

The 15-year-old, who trains at Devizes Judo Club, claimed third place in the under 57kg weight category. The Polish competition served as Britain’s final competitive event before taking the same team to the European Cadet Championships in the Czech Republic on Saturday 25th and Sunday 26th June.

Jemima opened her competition with a narrow win over Poland’s Monika Jezyk to book a second round meeting with Czech Republic’s Marketa Havlickova.

The dominant Brit won by ippon and repeated that impressive feat in her quarter-final against Poland’s Angelika Sziwa.

Jemima suffered a golden score defeat to Russian Anastasia Matvienkova in the semi-final which saw enter the repechage and come up against fellow Brit Katie-Jemima Yeats-Brown in the bronze medal match.

The Wiltshire fighter went behind to a yuko score early on but replied almost instantly with a wazari. Jemima was penalised for passivity but eventually triumphed after registering two yuko scores.

Britain claimed their first gold medal at the Polish event as Freya de Chastelain from Wolverhampton Judo Club secured the top prize in the in the under 48kg weight category. Elsewhere under 66kg fighter Declan Byrne, of Polkyth Judo Club, took a respectable fifth.

Karen Roberts, Performance Operations Manager, said: “This has been an extremely encouraging event, not based on the results but the performances of every individual.

“The England staff has implemented the technical direction of Patrick Roux within the England Development programme, and along with it over the last eight months created a culture for hard work and belief in their ability.”

Jemima will undertake her final European preparations for Europe’s premier junior event at a three-day training camp at Kendal Judo Club from Friday 11 th to Sunday June 13th.

The British Judo Association is the National Governing Body for the Olympic Sport of judo in Great Britain.

Devizes Judo Club train at the rear of The Queens Head, Wiltshire, SN10 2BG. There’s a mixed ability and fitness session on Tuesday at 19:00 – 21:00 while seniors train on Wednesday at 20:00 – 21:45.