Judo: Singleton so fast into final

Pinewood Judo Club's Georgina Singleton powered her way into the final of the women's under-52kg at the European championships in Slovenia yesterday.

Singleton, 24, needed just 40 seconds of her scheduled five-minute contest to beat Belgium's Ilse Heylen. After just 20 seconds she scored a knock-down with a running technique, which she then followed quickly into a hold-down. There was no escape for Heylen, and after a further 20 seconds the fight was over.

Singleton was in devastating form in the early rounds. Poland's Barbara Bukowska and Oxana Karzakova of Russia both lasted little time against a confident opponent.

The 25-year-old Scot John Buchanan narrowly missed out on a place in the men's under-60kg final after succumbing to France's Yacine Douma.

It was a far cry from his earlier rounds where he was as ruthless as Singleton. He strangled Austria's Ludwig Paischer into submission and then expertly countered Siarhei of Belarus on to his back for a maximum score.