Chelsie Giles: GB judoka wins first Grand Slam gold in Tel Aviv
- Published
Chelsie Giles' (left) previous Grand Slam best was silver, won in Antalya in 2018
British judoka Chelsie Giles won her first Grand Slam gold medal in Tel Aviv, Israel.
Competing at -52kg, the 24-year-old beat the host nation's Gili Cohen in the final, pinning her for 20 seconds to seal the victory.
Giles, the 2019 European Games bronze medallist, had pulled off a shock win over Kosovo's reigning Olympic champion Majlinda Kelmendi to reach the final.
"Today has been the best day that I have ever felt fighting," she said.
"I can take great confidence from today going into my upcoming competitions and I hope I can continue performing at this level consistently.
"I am so happy with my performance, to beat the Olympic champion and win my first Grand Slam gold medal is fantastic."
British team-mate Ashley McKenzie placed fifth in the men's -60kg.
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