Gold glory for Dartford aceDARTFORD judo star Francesca Steggall ensured revenge was sweet as she took gold in the girls 48kg category at the UK School Games in Coventry, writes Neil McMinnies.
The 17-year-old defeated English rival Emily Hickman in an exciting final which went right to the wire with Steggall landing the title after holding her nerve as the showdown went to sudden death.
And the victory was even more impressive considering Hickman had stunned the Kent teenager in the opening match of the round robin group stage.
But the Orpington College pupil put her early blip to the back of her mind and retained her composure to win the nail-biting final.
Steggall said: "Emily and I were neck and neck all the way so it feels great to have come out on top.
"After she beat me in the first round, I knew I needed to give even more in the final.
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"I was a bit disillusioned after the first round and didn't know what to do, but I decided to simply forget about it and treat each match differently.
"The final was a completely different ball game and I knew from the first buzzer it was now or never."
After picking up the gold medal, Steggall hopes to continue her impressive season at the National Championships in October.
The talented youngster suffered heartache in the final last year, but is determined to go one better this time around.
She explained: "I finished second last year but after winning the UK School Games, I will go there full of confidence.
"I want to go to university in the coming years, but I'm determined to keep my judo going especially with the London Olympics coming up.
"2012 is a long way in the future, but we all want to get there and I hope I've given myself a great shot."
The Big Lottery Fund, which has an £850m track record in funding grass-roots sport, is supporting the UK School Games.
4:42pm today
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