Weekend Review: Golden Girl Petersen-Pollard Shines in Austria

Kelly Petersen-Pollard (Fitzroy Davies) (-70kg) was in great form this weekend, taking gold at the European Junior Cup in Leibnitz, Austria. The event traditionally acts as a ‘warm-up’ competition prior to the major championships, and with the World and European Junior Championships taking place later this year, a number of the world’s top junior athletes were competing.

Petersen-Pollard (centre left) has been in golden form of late, taking gold at the European Senior Cup in Podcertrtek last weekend. Petersen-Pollard beat Germany’s world number 7 Marlene Galandi in the final to claim gold. The result sees Petersen-Pollard rise to 11^th in the world junior rankings.

Josie Steele (Euan Burton) (right) claimed bronze in a hotly contested -57kg category. Ranked world junior number 14, Steele was beaten in the semi final by eventual winner, Mizuki Kagawa of Japan with world junior number 5 Marica Perisic of Serbia taking silver.

Sian Bobrowska (Davies) placed 5^th in a world class -48kg category, with all the medallists being ranked in the top 10 in the world junior rankings.

Thirteen of the British Judo senior team were also in action this weekend at the European Open in Cluj-Napoca, Romania.

A week after claiming his first senior medal at the European Cup in Podcetrtek, Scott Thomson (Davie Reilly) (left) again claimed bronze with an accomplished performance to cap a fantastic two weeks for the Scottish athlete.

Scotland’s Stuart McWatt (Stuart McWatt) (right) claimed silver in the -81kg ahead of representing Team GB at the European Games later this month.

Elsewhere Max Stewart (Dennis Stewart) placed 5^th in the -90kg category and Kimberley Renicks (Louise Renicks) placed 7^th in the -48kg category.