Judo star Lele Nairne moved up a weight category and still managed to win a medal.

IN her latest contest, 13-year-old Priory Community School pupil Lele Nairne from Kewstoke fought at the Crystal Palace national sports centre in the Kent International Judo championship.

She went up a weight category and managed to beat the under 57k British champion and took on a two metre tall Dutch champion to win the bronze medal.

This was the last big international contest that Lele will compete in before taking a break this summer to begin training for the busy judo calendar of events, which run between September and December.

Dad Kevin said: “This was a significant win for Lele because she is now competing in the big girls’ league, fighting high graded and ranked players. This was her first time in the under 63kgs and the other players were much bigger and stronger.

She was the smallest in her group in both weight and age, but decided as this is going to be her category in the near future, she would try it out.”