Euan Burton, British judo hope for London 2012 wins gold at Grand Slam judo tournament in Tokyo
Last updated 12/14/2009 4:45:28 PM
Euan Burton British judo hope for London 2012 wins gold at Grand Slam judo tournament in Tokyo
Britain's Euan Burton emphasised his enormous potential when he clinched gold in the 81kg category at the top ranked Grand Slam judo tournament in Tokyo on Saturday.
Burton did well to reach the final but was totally unfancied in the final when he scored a surprise victory over Olympic silver medallist Kim Jae-Bum of South Korea by scoring a waza ari twice for a combined ippon.
"This was one of my targets for the season," said Burton. "After the Worlds, it is the biggest tournament.
"It's against the best technical fighters from Japan and Korea so it's very difficult but I fought hard."
Burton's medal in Japan adds to the gold he won at the Judo World Cup event in Birmingham in September and once more shows his rapid climb up the judo ladder.
"I can now go home and take some time off for Christmas," he added.
Read also >> Judo World Cup in Birmingham - Burton and Addlington lead British medal haul