More medal joy for Katie

11:17am Friday 9th May 2008

Sutton teenager Katie Dean continued her transistion into senior judo by winning a bronze medal at the British Open at K2, Crawley, last weekend.

Competing in the women's U78kg category, the 18-year-old suffered an early defeat to Maike Heinz of Germany, who had won a bronze medal at the Swiss Open two weeks earlier.

But Dean battled back in the repercharge to win all her fights and take bronze.

This success adds to the bronze she won at the English Open at Kendal in March and places her as second seed in the British rankings.

Meanwhile, Stoneleigh Brasserie, based in The Broadway, have agreed to sponsor Dean's judo kit for a year.

Manager Simon Uddin said: "Katie's family have been loyal customers of ours for years and when we heard of her quest to make the 2012 Olympics we thought we would offer our help.

Dean's next attempt to secure ranking points will be at the Northern Irish Open in Belfast at the end of May.

She said: "Quality Judogis (suits) can be quite expensive to buy, so it is a weight off my mind that Simon and Stoneleigh Brasserie are able to offer this support."

Community sport: yourlocalguardian.co.uk

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