Competing in his second competition after an injury sustained in January, Andy Burns (-90kg) won the silver medal at the European Open, Minsk last weekend, picking up valuable qualification points for the Rio 2016 Olympics.

Speaking after the contest, Andy said: “I came up against a couple who have beaten me in the past so it was exciting to see I am improving. I was happy to perform on the day and win a medal.”

Reflecting on the final fight against Axel Clerget of France, he added: “I was disappointed in the final half as I felt I could have won that match, but I was caught with a lovely throw.

“The points from the result put me in a qualification spot for Rio, but there is a lot more work to be done for me to make it in 2016. First up is Budapest [Grand Prix] this weekend, followed by El Salvador Continental Open and Mongolia Grand Prix. All three will be tough events.”

Burns will also be competing at the British Open in July, a competition that is set to be held in The SSE Arena, Wembley for the first time in the event’s history.

The junior and cadet squads were also in action over the weekend in Austria and Poland respectively with Olivia Piechota bringing home the gold in the -44kg cadet competition beating Andrea Karman of Hungary in the final. Kelly Staddon (-48kg), Jodie Caller (-57kg), Lubjana Piovesana (-63kg) and Emma Reid (-70kg) all took 5^th places at the Junior European Cup, Leibnitz, Austria.

Don’t miss your chance to see your judo heroes live in London at The SSE Arena, Wembley this July at The British Open. Get your tickets now here: http://www.axs.com/series/1637/british-judo-open-tickets

10% discount available for British Judo members – email communications@britishjudo.org.uk to claim your code!