KENT judo star Casey Belsey is targeting the Beijing Olympics in 2008 after being crowned a national champion.

Belsey, 15, a pupil at Minster College on Sheppey, took home a gold medal from the British Judo National Age Band Championships in Sheffield last month after winning all four fights in the under 46kg category.

The tournament is categorised into weight and age groups, with the winners becoming national champions and automatically taking a place on the British Judo World Class Start Squad.

Belsey, a high blue belt, is now training for the European Championships next summer, and has his eye on being a member of the British squad for the Olympics in 2008.

His mother Jane said the gold was reward for all the hard work and dedication her son had put in. She said: "With Casey it’s judo, judo, judo. He’s definitely improved over the last year, because he is really dedicated and trains hard.

"He’s training for the European Championships next summer, and he’s trying for the next Olympics and the one after that, so the hard work continues.

"He trains four times a week at Dartford Judo club and on top of that, does weight training and running."

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