Double world champion Bianca Walkden missed out on a third straight European taekwondo title as she was forced to settle for+73kg silver in Kazan, Russia.
Looking to extend her unbeaten run, which extends to over a year, Walkden looked in good position against Poland’s Aleksandra Kowalczuk, going 9-6 ahead.
But Kowalczuk fought back late on to clinch the title, prevailing 11-9 to end Walkden’s fine run.
The Brit, who defeated Croatia’s Melani Adamic and Turkey’s Sude Bulut on the way to the final, was looking for her tenth successive tournament title in the heavyweight division but still took her place on the podium.
Following her close battle, Walkden took to social media and posted on twitter: “I’ll be back, trust me!”
But it was a productive championship for Great Britain who picked up three golds, Walkden’s silver and three bronze medals to finish fourth in the overall standings.
Welsh teenager Lauren Williams defended her title in the -67kg category while Jade Jones and Christian McNeish also stood atop the podium in Russia.
Bradly Sinden, Peter Radford and Jordyn Smith were the bronze medallists as Britain improved their total haul by three medals from the last Games two years ago. Sportsbeat 2018