Sarah Adlington, a late addition to the British team for last weekend’s European Judo Championships, narrowly missed out on the medals in the +78kg category.
Adlington, from Bayston Hill, gave a good account of herself in her first major European event as a senior and the experience of competing against the continent’s best in Portugal should stand her in good stead.
The 21-year-old lost to Mondiere of France in the first round despite holding her own for most of the fight.
Mondiere made it to the final, bringing Adlington back to the repechage, which she took advantage of by beating Prokotyeva of the Ukraine quickly with a throw straight into a hold.
In the repechage final, Adlington met the experienced Buzhilova of Bulgaria, pulling off a great win to secure a bronze medal fight.
There she met Konitz of Germany, and although she applied pressure, it was not with the same success, leaving her just outside the medals in fifth place.
Adlington, who retains a decent chance of being called up for the Beijing Olympics, flies out to Switzerland tomorrow to take part in the Swiss Open in Lucerne.
