County judo stars strike gold at Sheffield

Three Shropshire judo stars claimed national titles - striking gold at the Senior British Trials in Sheffield.

County trio Kelly Edwards, Gemma Howell and Danny Williams were all celebrating victories in their respective weight categories at the English Institute Of Sport on Sunday.

Over 100 of Britain's top judokas competed for a place on the British squad - with the top four in each category automatically sealing a spot.

Edwards, 20, from the Wrekin Star Judo Club in Telford, underlined her ranking as Britain's top under-48kg fighter by claiming that category ahead of long-time Scottish rival Kimberley Renicks.

Howell, who hails from Priorslee in Telford, marched to top honours in the under-57kg category.

Rising star Howell, also aged 20, defeated Edinburgh Judo Club's Connie Ramsey to take the gold medal.

Fellow Shropshire talent Dunning took fourth place, sealing her place in the British squad as well.

Shrewsbury's Williams, 21, picked up the gold medal in the under-73kg category after edging Team Bath's Jan Gosiewski to claim top spot.

Meanwhile, Bayston Hill's Sarah Adlington, 24, thwarted young contender Shelley Jackson in 10 seconds by ippon before narrowly losing out to 20-time major medallist Karina Bryant to finish with a silver medal in the over-78kgs section.

The British squad will now head to Belgium this weekend for the prestigious Belgian Open.

Howell and Adlington will also head back to the continent next month, having been selected as part of a four-strong GB team for the all-star Paris Grand Slam.

Organised since 1971 in many forms, it is still one of the most prestigious tournaments on the world judo circuit.

As tradition has built over the years, the French Judo Federation continue to stage a spectacular event that attracts the world's best and capacity crowds to watch them, as well as showcasing it live on French TV.

Adlington has been making her mark on the circuit, winning four World Cup medals and three European Cup medals last year.

Howell is the youngest member of the team and impressed at the Paris event in 2009 when she finished in fifth place.

By CHRIS HUDSON