Weekend Review: Fantastic Four shine in Slovenia

This weekend saw Celje, Slovenia, play host to the Podcetrtek Senior European Cup. Four young GB stars Eric Ham (Geoff Ham), Shelley Ludford (Adrian Dove) and Kelly Petersen-Pollard (Fitzroy Davies) all won gold, while Scott Thomson (Davie Reilly) claimed bronze.

^{Pictured left to right Thomson, Petersen-Pollard, Ludford, Ham}

Ham (-73kg), from Glossop, improved upon his 5^th place finish 12 months previous, to claim his first senior medal and win gold, to add to the gold he won at the Junior European Cup in Coimbra in 2015.

Basingstoke’s World Junior Championship bronze medallist, Ludford (-78kg), who is making the transition from the junior ranks to senior, won her first senior gold to add to silver she won at the European Open in Glasgow last year.

Petersen-Pollard (-70kg) of Sutton Coldfield, who is still a member of the GB Judo junior squad, won her first senior medal in taking gold, to add to the silver medals she has won at the Junior European Cups in Coimbra and Lignano earlier this year.

Scotland’s Thomson (-60kg), who is also making the step up from the junior ranks this year, claimed his first senior medal in taking bronze.

At the Hohhot Grand Prix in China, Gemma Howell (Bill Kelly) finished 7^th, while Jemima Yeats-Brown (Ian Oliver) was defeated by eventual winner Fanny-Estelle Posvite from France.

Elsewhere this weekend, at the Cadet European Cup in Coimbra, Portugal, Isobel Kitchen (Andy Merchant) finished 7^th in the -57kg category.