BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year 2017: Natalie Powell profile

Natalie Powell is the first Welsh judoka to win a medal at a World Championships

Natalie Powell has enjoyed the best year of her career so far, with tournament successes that have seen her become the first British female judoka to top the world rankings.

The 27-year-old from Beulah near Builth Wells in Powys, competing in the -78kg category, has consistently been challenging for medals at major competitions in 2017.

Powell won bronze at April's European Championships in Warsaw, Poland - the second European bronze medal of her career.

She took silver in the Ekaterinberg Grand Slam in Russia in May, losing to Japan's Mama Umeki in the final, and claimed another silver the following month at the Cancun Grand Prix.

That result in Mexico secured a top-eight seeding for the World Championships in August, where Powell won bronze in Budapest by beating former world champion Marhinde Verkerk by ippon.

The medal was Powell's first at world level and was also the first for a Welsh competitor at a World Championships.

She followed that up by winning gold at the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam in October, with Powell again seeing off Dutch great Verkerk on the tatami.

Natalie Powell (in white) has enjoyed some epic struggles with Dutch opponent Marhinde Verkerk in the women's -78kg class this year

Powell took up judo aged eight and is a long-time member of the Irfon Judo Club in Builth Wells.

Athletics, tennis and netball in particular - in which Powell has represented Wales - also vied for her sporting affections throughout secondary school, but she opted for judo as a full-time pursuit in 2012.

With fierce competition for Great Britain places Powell missed out on selection for the 2012 Olympics, with the more experienced Gemma Gibbons getting the nod to compete in London in her weight category. Gibbons would go on to win silver in her home city.

Although Powell was now funded as a judoka, she combined her training with studying for a degree from Cardiff University in Biomedical Sciences and graduated in 2015.

Judo had been omitted from the Commonwealth Games programme since 2002 but was reintroduced for Glasgow 2014, with Powell selected to represent Wales along with her younger sister Kirsty.

Earlier in the year Powell had shown she was in good form with silver at the European Open in Rome, and in Glasgow won through to the final.

Powell faced her arch-rival Gibbons and after scoring an early waza-ari throw against the English athlete stayed on the offensive to win the gold medal.

Unfortunately Powell will not be able to defend her title at the 2018 Commonwealth Games on Australia's Gold Coast as judo has not been included.

Powell's fine 2014 continued as she won the Grand Prix in Astana in October.

She won bronze at the 2016 European Championships in Kazan, Russia, as well two IJF Masters medals including an historic silver in 2015 as she became the first British judoka to reach a Masters final.

Powell became the first Welsh female judoka to compete at an Olympics when she was selected for the 2016 Rio Games, where she finished seventh.

If Powell can continue the form she has shown so far in 2017, and avoid injuries, she is on course to claim a first Olympic medal at the 2020 Games in Tokyo.

Voting for BBC Cymru Wales Sports Personality of the Year 2017 will open from 08:00 GMT on Monday, 27 November and close at 18:00 GMT on Saturday, 2 December.

Full voting terms and conditions will be available on the BBC website and will also be carried on radio and television.

The winner will be unveiled on Monday, 4 December.

This event is not connected with the UK Sports Personality of the Year and is for the Wales award only.