Injury agony over for judo ace (From Stroud News and Journal)

Injury agony over for judo ace

KYM ASPINALL has achieved her ambition of regaining a place in the British national seniors judo squad.

Kym, 22, was unable to compete after a major operation to her knee forced her to retire from competition for a year.

However, Kym was third in the British rankings this year (in the under 78 kilos category) having won medals in the Northern Ireland Open competition among other competitions.

This meant that she was able to compete in the prestigious National Grand Finals at Wolverhampton University.

This competition was for invited players only and saw the best players in British judo competing for a place in the British senior squad.

In the semi-finals, Kym was drawn against Rachael Wilding, the British player who competed in the under 78 kilos category in the Olympic Games in Athens earlier this year.

Kym who went to the games as a spectator never thought, as she watched Rachael in Athens, that she would be fighting against her for a place in the British Grand Finals. Kym lost that fight but went on to win her fight for a bronze medal.

"It was a very proud moment when I knew that I had won a medal," said Kym, who works as a senior fitness instructor at Stroud Leisure Centre and trains at Dowty Judo Club, Cheltenham, where she is also a club coach.