Natalie Powell has vowed to make the most of the security of being pre-selected for next month’s European Judo Championships by ensuring she arrives in Hungary in the best shape possible.
The 22-year-old is one of five British judokas to earn pre-selection for the Europeans in Budapest, which run from April 25-28, with Olympic silver medallist Gemma Gibbons among that number.
Kimberley Renicks, Tom Davis, and Chris Sherrington are the other three pre-selected judokas with additional and final selection to be made three weeks before the Europeans begin on April 4.
Powell, who won silver at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix last year, becomes the first Welsh judoka to be selected for a major championships since Welsh national coach Craig Ewers competed at the 2005 Europeans.
And, with the English Open and Turkey Grand Prix on the schedule this month, Powell is determined to leave no stone unturned in order to be competitive with the best the continent has to offer.
“I was really pleased to be selected for the Europeans,” said Powell – who will compete in the -78kg category along with Gibbons, who won silver at the weight at the London 2012 Olympics.
“Hopefully good performances in the English Open and the Turkey Grand Prix along with full commitment to my training programme over the next few weeks will ensure I'm fully prepared to compete and produce a good result.”
© Sportsbeat 2013