Golden weekend for Shropshire and Powys judo stars as Commonwealth Games looming

Adlington recorded a golden result as she steps up plans to represent Team Scotland at the Commonwealth Games.

The Shrewsbury-born judoka, 35, claimed a gold medal yesterday with victory at the Winterthur European Cup in Switzerland.

Powell, meanwhile, fought her way to gold on the final day of the Zagreb Grand Prix in Croatia.

Following an opening-round bye, sixth seed Powell, 31, a former World No.1, swept aside her -78kg field with four victories on the way to gold – the fourth Grand Slam success of her career.

Powell, who will represent Team Wales in a bid to add to her Commonwealth gold from 2014, made the semi-final in Croatia after victories against Linda Politi, of Italy, and Poland’s Beata Pacut-Kloczko.

It was Brazilian Mayra Aguiar, a three-time Olympic bronze medallist and double world champion, in the semi-final but Powell booked her place in the final via an ippon.

Israel’s Inbar Lanir, the top seed and World No.3, awaited in the final, but it was Powell who returned home with goal having forced her opponent into a tap out with 90 seconds on the clock after a successful arm lock.

The Zagreb Grand Prix acted as a qualifying event for the Paris Olympics of 2024, leaving Powell in strong stead. Judokas’ top six results each year over a two-year period are taken into account for Olympic qualification.

Meanwhile Adlington, who is based north of the border in Edinburgh, saw off competition from France’s Lucie Dupin, who took home silver in the +78kg weight category.

Elsewhere in the field, in which Adlington was No.1 seed, was Carmen Dijkstra of The Netherlands who claimed bronze and Australia’s Abigail Paduch. Success in the Games would be historic for the Shropshire athlete, part of the all-conquering Team Scotland gold-winning side at the 2014 Commonwealths in Glasgow.

Should they repeat her gold effort in next month, Adlington or Powell will be the first judoka to win two Commonwealth golds.

In total, 18 British judo players made the trip to the Axa Arena, with many using the event as a warm-up for the upcoming Games in Birmingham, with judo action under way at the Coventry Arena from Monday, August 1.

Adlington, who alongside Chris Sherrington will lead the Scotland squad, previously most recently competed at the Continental Open World Cup in Madrid in June, where she finished fifth.

Prior to that, in late April, she earned a bronze medal at a European Cup event in Dubrovnik, Croatia.

Adlington said recently of her call to represent Team Scotland: “It’s a great honour to be selected to represent Scotland at any event but even more so at a Commonwealth Games. I am really excited to compete.

“It is also another opportunity for the public to see some world-class judo.

“I know there will be a lot of Scottish support in the crowd and that will be great for all the Scottish athletes.”