BLACKBURN’S Henry Wakes is hoping that ten years of hard work will pay dividends when he takes to the mat for Team GB at the European Youth Olympic Festival in Georgia.

The 16-year-old judoka will join a host of the country’s brightest stars as they head to Tbilisi to take on the best young athletes from across the continent, with the competition getting underway on July 25.

Wakes has rarely missed a session since he took up the martial art at the age of six and will be looking bring gold home from his European expedition.

And the teenager believes the competition is the perfect platform for him to hone his skills as he looks to climb through the rankings and one day be Britain’s foremost judo player.

“It means a lot to me to be going out there and I am just so happy to have been selected for the team,” said the Ribblesdale High student.

“I was hoping that I was going to be selected but you never know so to find out that I had was really brilliant.

“I don’t know who is going from the other teas but I would really like to go out there and try and win medal.

“The experience is going to be really great for me and hopefully it is one that I can learn a lot from and it can make me a better athlete.

“I love training and love the sport so I never miss sessions and if I were to win a medal then it would mean the hard work is paying off.”

Wakes is no stranger to high-level European competition having recently returned from Bulgaria and the Cadet European Judo Championships.

There he won his first fight against Turkey’s Mihrac Akkus but came unstuck as a late shido gave victory to Bulgaria’s Dobromir Kalisterski.

But the Shadsworth Judo Club ace believes he has shown that he has the ability to mix it with the best in Europe and wants to show it again in Georgia.

“That was a great experience,” he added. “I know I can compete against the top guys so I just need to perform on the day.

“If I can go out there and do that then hopefully I can win a medal and that would make me so proud.

“I would love to make it to the Olympics one day and so these are the types of competitions that I need to be doing well in.”

n To follow the team out at Tbilisi 2015 visit www.TeamGB.com or via Twitter using @TeamGB