Amy Platten in a good place ahead of Commonwealth Games and Paris Olympics
Amy Platten (white) is up to 60 in the world judo rankings for the 48kg category. - Credit: BARRINGTON COOMBS/PA
St Albans' Amy Platten has begun the qualifying cycle for the Paris Olympics in 2024 by breaking into the top 60 in the world judo rankings.
She was helped by coming within a whisker of a medal fight and Zagreb Grand Prix in Croatia.
Seeded for the competition she began directly in round two with a victory over Moldovan Ana Budescu, gaining two wazari falls to make an ippon and advance.
The quarter-final against Melanie Vieu, the reigning UJ23 European champion from France, was far tighter and settled on a golden score after the normal four minutes.
A hold down sent Vieu through and Platten's hopes of a bronze-medal bout ended in the repechage with defeat to Austria's Katharina Tanzer.
Platten said: "I was really happy with the second-round fight and thought I was on top in the quarter-final too but I let Vieu back into the fight when I should have upped the pressure.
"It's a big lesson for next time with the difference between winning and losing can be so slim.
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"It's going to be a packed year with competitions in Dubrovnik and Malaga this month and the U23 European Championships in Hungary in November."
