Amy Platten's memorable year has continued after she was crowned the Under-18 British judo champion in Sheffield.

The St Albans 15-year-old, who trains at Welwyn Garden City and Redbridge Judo Clubs, started this year by winning a bronze medal in the Spanish European Cup in March and was unstoppable in the Sainsbury’s Games in Manchester in September.

She went to the National Championships with the pressure of being the number one seed after consistently winning ranking competitions all over the UK.

After powering through the early rounds with her trademark ippon judo by throwing with Uchi Mata, Ashi Guruma and Ippon Seionage, Platten had a tough final against a Scottish opponent who tried hard to frustrate her attacking style. But Platten won after the four-minute fight as her opponent was given two passivity penalties.

An elated Platten said: “I really wanted to win by ippon but the Scottish girl made it very difficult. However, all the training and hard work paid off, it feels fantastic to be number one in Britain.”

As well as her judo training, Platten has benefited from being on the Herts Talented Athletes Programme (HTAP) which is helping her maximise her potential through strength and conditioning coaching.

She said: “I am hoping to do even better next year, if I can find enough sponsorship money to travel to more European Cups and training camps. I hope to get in the top ten ranked in the world and fight in the European Championships in Finland”.

If you are interested in helping Platten with sponsorship, visit http://sportinherts.podiumpartners.org/?dm_i=7LD,3URV8,LOLFSD,DWPSS,1