THORNBURY Olympian Sally Conway has been named in a 12-strong GB Judo team bound for the World Championships in Budapest next month.

Conway, who claimed an incredible bronze medal at the Rio Olympics last year, made her competitive return to judo in June, claiming silver medals in her last two events, most recently at the Cancun Grand Prix where she beat world number one Elvismar Rodriguez.

The world championships take place in the Hungarian capital from August 28 to September 3, with Conway a firm favourite for the -70kg category.

Speaking to the Gazette, the former Marlwood student said: “It’s my first major tournament back since the Olympics and I am really looking forward to fighting at that level again.

“After being off for a few months it was good to go against the best in the world, and to come away with medals at both tournaments was really reassuring.”

With less than six weeks to go, Conway said that she would be taking what she had learned from her last two tournaments, and applying them while out on training camps in Germany and the Netherlands.

She said: “In both finals, I was against some of the highest seeded fighters and I could feel I didn’t quite have that competitive edge, that sharpness that I needed to overcome them then, but I have learned a lot from that experience and have put the work into my training so I will be ready for Worlds.

“I think that if I put in my best performance at worlds, there is every chance I could find my way to a medal, and if I can do that, there is no reason to say it might not be gold.

“But until I reach that point, I will be taking it a fight at a time and putting everything I have into that moment.”

Nigel Donohue, British Judo performance director, said he believes the British team are in a good position to challenge for medals.

“We’re really excited about the World Championships in Budapest,” he said. “This is one of our milestone events and we believe that the team selected can challenge for medals but as long as everyone fights to their potential then the results will come.

“There’s a good mix of experience and new blood in this team and they’re up for the challenge.

“The likes of Sally Conway and Natalie Powell have been to multiple World Championships so they know what to expect.

“However, the younger athletes have shown they’re not fazed by big crowds and arenas so it’ll be good to see them in action having firmly established themselves at senior level.

“Especially among our female judoka there’s a lot of strength in depth from -52kg up to -70kg which is really positive for us as a sport and a Performance Programme. That competition will keep everyone on their toes and it’s a really exciting time for British Judo.”