British judo champion Richard Blanes sets his sights on the next level this weekend when he competes in an international event in Poland.

The 26-year-old schoolteacher is hoping to pick up enough points to earn himself a place in the World Championship which is being held in Birmingham later this year.

Super heavyweight Blanes, from Elmstead, said: "This is my first 'A' tournament so it's the biggest I've ever been to.

"I haven't lost for over two years in this country, so I need to test myself against international opponents."

To prepare for this new challenge, Blanes, who teaches maths at St Helena School, has been at a training camp in Austria where he was training with the best.

He added: "There were 550 of us there. I fought the world champion twice a day for five days. You can't ask for better practice.

"These guys are very, very strong. I need to increase my strength and I've been doing a lot of work at the gym to do that."

A member of Colchester Judo Club, Blanes thanked the school, where he has set up a self-defence class, for allowing him time off and also his gym, Physical Jerk in Clacton.

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