And for 11-year-old Anneka Sanders it was even more so, due to the prospect of competing in her first international judo tournament in Sweden.

A member of the Borders-based Sportif Judo Club, Anneka, travelled to Lund, for the Budo Nord International tournament, with a squad of 20, who went up against 750 judokas from 12 nations, including France, Hungary, Germany and the Netherlands.

Competition was tough, but Knowepark Primary School pupil Anneka managed to strike gold in her class.

She told The Wee Paper: “I was a little bit nervous as there were hundreds of people there, but I really enjoyed the whole experience.”

Anneka, who has been a junior judoka from the age of five, won all four of her bouts to lift the trophy.

She added: “The last bout I had was the most nerve-wracking as I knew then that to pick up the trophy I had to win it, but I just shut everything else out and got on with it.”

The tournament was followed by an intense training camp, where the youngsters had the opportunity to work with some of Europe’s top coaches and were spoiled for choice with 750 sparring partners to choose from.

Sportif team manager Ian McDonald said: “The Budo Nord is a fantastic event and a rite of passage for Sportif kids. Teams we have taken in the past have grown from the experience, they begin to see just how big a sport judo is in the rest of the world.

“It is always a tough tournament, but traditionally Sportif players have done well and this year’s players worked very hard in preparation.”

As well as her pre-tournament training, Anneka also had to raise money to fund her trip. She and her mum Grace did a sponsored walk, as well as other fundraising activities.

One of her main backers was D. C. Dalgleish & Son, tartan specialists.

For sporty Anneka, who also plays hockey and enjoys horse riding, training is one of the most enjoyable aspects of the sport. She moves to Selkirk High School after the summer and goes up to the Under-16 age grade in September, but nothing is likely to get in the way of her judo ambitions.

She told us: “I would like to thank everyone who helped make the trip possible. I move up an age grade next year so will be competing against older girls for a while, but I intend to stick in and hopefully make everyone proud.”

The next appearance for Anneka will be the Scottish and British Championships in September.

For more information on Sportif Judo, contact Peter Gardiner on 01578 730542 or look on the Sportif website www.sportifjudo.com