Schoolgirl star floors rivals to become British Judo Champ

Gwen Lloyd, 15, followed in the footsteps of a string of Wolverhampton Judo Club stars by beating the best girls in the under 70kg category of the cadet class that is open to the under 17s.

The Codsall High School pupil picked up her latest award at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield, on November 24.

Her coach Kevin O’Reilly, who has taught her since she was eight, said he was delighted by her impressive performance.

"We had a plan with each player and Gwen stuck to the plan ensuring that she dominated each contest, using the weakness of other players and her own strengths," he said.

"Gwen works on ideas we come up with and this has helped her to win at this level of competition. She has got a lot of talent and potentially she could go all the way."

Kevin said that if she kept improving she could follow Wolverhampton Judo Club legend Gemma Howell, who represented Great Britain in the 2012 Olympics and has won Grand Prix tournaments this year in Budapest and Zagreb.

She has just returned from a training trip in Japan and is now heading off to China.

Gwen, who will be 16 years old in a few weeks, took the gold medal as Commonwealth champion in September and is looking to win further medals as she enters the junior section, the level above cadet, in the New Year.

Kevin, speaking of her British triumph, added: "In the semi-final, she kept her cool to come from a score down to finally defeat Anya Hassan from Gateshead with a submission from a strangle.

"Gwen dominated the final against Camila Rincones of Destination Judo, Scotland, winning convincingly with her favourite throw Morote Seoi-nage (two-handed shoulder throw)."

She also finished fifth in the Junior British Championship under 70kg category, which was held at the weekend and featured the best players in this country under the age of 20.

Kevin said: "This was a great result for her first competition in this section."

Gwen comes from a judo-mad Codsall family with her elder sister Elin, now 20, being a bronze medallist at the British Championships at both cadet and junior level, while her younger sister Bronwyn, nine, has just started to enter competitions.

Their father, 54-year-old former body builder Stephen, said: "I always encouraged them to do something physical and judo is a sport with respect and discipline.

"I never imagined they would do so well. They have the right attitude even when they lose a contest.

"They just dust themselves down and go again. I am only the chauffeur."

Both Stephen and his wife, Lynn, follow the girls all over the country but say they are delighted Elin now has a car of her own – and can take some of the load off them.