English Junior Open gold medal for Plevin
LOUIS PLEVIN has secured his first gold medal at a national judo event, as he clinched a superb quick-fire victory at the English Junior Open in East Anglia.
Playing in the under-81kg division, the 19-year-old Guernsey star defeated some highly-ranked Great Britain players in the under-20s competition.
The weight category he competed in was new for this event and after progressing through the preliminaries into the medal fight off rounds, he was guaranteed at least a bronze medal.
The semi-final saw Plevin demonstrate just how much his training over the past six months at Anglia Ruskin University has helped him develop his judo skills by throwing his opponent in just five seconds.
And the final was won almost as quickly with another example of Plevin's newly-found skills with a fast foot sweep followed by a strong pinning hold.
The final bell was met with a victory punch in the air by the jubilant Guernsey Judo Club member and the result has catapulted him into seventh place on the GB Junior Ranking system.
He will next be in action at next month's Hampshire Closed, where he will competing at senior level which should be a good warm-up for South Africa and the Commonwealth Judo Championships.
