On the final day of the 2016 Baku Grand Slam it was Gemma Gibbons (-78kg) who came closest to medalling as she finished fifth in the -78kg category.

Gibbons started well as she beat Lkhamdegd Purevjargal (MGL) following up an earlier yuko with a big throw for ippon. Her quarter-final with Marhinde Verkerk (NED) came down to a single shido and it was the Dutch judoka who progressed into the semi-finals.

In the repechage final Gibbons found herself a yuko and two shidos down going into the last minute against Daria Pogorzelec (POL) before she once again showed that she can’t be counted out as she threw the Polish judoka for ippon.

Gibbons took on current World Champion Mami Umeki (JPN) for bronze and it was the Japanese judoka who showed her class as she forced Gibbons into a vulnerable position on the ground and forced her to tap out.

Speaking afterwards Gibbons said: “Obviously fifth place is always disappointing and it’s not what I came here for but in terms of performance I feel like I’m closer to the level I should be at following my injury.”

Fellow -78kg judoka Natalie Powell finished in seventh having gotten past Ivana Maranic (CRO) in her opening contest with a tani-otoshi. Powell took on Umeki (JPN) in the quarter-finals and in a fast-paced encounter it was the Japanese judoka who countered well to throw Powell for ippon.

Powell took on the awkward Victoriia Turks (UKR) in the repechage and the British judoka struggled to impose herself on the contest before Turks produced a big throw to move into the bronze medal contests.

Ben Fletcher (-100kg) continued to improve on the world stage as he claimed another big scalp on the way to his best finish at a Grand Slam to date as he finished in seventh place.

The British judoka made a good start as he proved too strong for talented youngster Zelym Kotsoiev (AZE) as he executed a lovely bit of skill on the ground to secure the oaeseikomi for ippon and add to his earlier yuko.

World No.10 Jose Armenteros (CUB) was Fletcher’s next opponent and in a tough, tactical contest it was the Cuban who picked up a single shido which gave Fletcher the win. His last 16 contest with former world champion Luciano Correa (BRA) followed a similar pattern as both men struggled to really dominate.

However it was the Brazilian who picked up the shido and Fletcher secured his spot in the last eight for the first time at a Grand Slam. His quarter-final with Adlan Bisultanov (RUS) proved to be a short affair as the Russian threw Fletcher for ippon.

Dropping into the repechage 2015 World silver medallist Karl-richard Frey awaited Fletcher and in another close contest it was Fletcher who came out on the wrong side of a couple of close shido calls as he gave his much higher-ranked opponent a torrid time.

Looking back on the weekend Elite Performance Coach Jean-Paul Bell is encouraged by the performances of the British judoka: “Overall a really good weekend from the team with some strong performances, good wins and results. There’s a lot of positives to take forward into the final few weeks of qualification.”

This finished a highly encouraging Baku Grand Slam for the British team which saw gold for Alice Schlesinger (-63kg), silver for Nekoda Davis (-57kg) and bronze for Ashley McKenzie (-60kg) alongside the three top eight places on Sunday. There are now two more qualifying competitions for the Rio Olympic Games: the Almaty Grand Prix (May 13-15) and the IJF Masters (May 27-29) before qualifying finishes on May 30 2016