Matthew Hucker, from Midsomer Norton Judo Club, fought in the Welsh International Open recently and, being the highest seeded Brit in the competition, looked to take a medal on the day.
He made it through the rounds of 27 entries, beating Cusack from Edinburgh with an arm bar submission, going on to beat Louis Plevin with Uchi-mata and a Sume-gaeshi sacrifice throw.
Hucker then fought a full distance fight with a Bulgarian fighter, both scoring a yuko, leading them on to fight in an extra timed golden score where, despite Hucker having a straight arm lock on the Bulgarian, he refused to tap, fought on and won the contest.
Hucker then had to wait in the repechage for the Bronze medal fight, where he would have to face Spencer Lambert. Hucker won the contest with a spectacular ippon throw in just one minute, picking up his first national medal this year.
Matthew Hucker’s next contest is the British Championships, where he hopes to repeat his success.