Having reached a career high world ranking, Mitcham judoka Jamal Petgrave is not planning to slow down as he targets a medal at this summer’s European Cadet Championships.

The 16-year-old, who fights in the -81kg category, moved up to sixth in the cadet world ranking list last month thanks to a European Cup victory in Romania.

Petgrave is fast getting used big events having made his Britain debut at last summer’s European Youth Olympic Festival before winning the Welsh Open and the national cadet title.

It is now back to European success for the Harris Academy pupil in what is his last season on the cadet circuit with Athens the place and July the time for him to deliver.

“So far my European season has been going good, I won the European Cup in Romania recently so that gives me my highest ever world cadet ranking in sixth place,” said Petgrave.

“I’m feeling confident at the moment. My main target is the European Cadet Championships. Last time I won one fight and then got injured.

“So I want to go better this year and hopefully come away with a medal. I’ve just got to keep up the training and maintain a good diet and hopefully it should come together.

“I’m focused on trying to stay fit, do well in the European Cup cycle before then and get a good draw at the Europeans.

“This is my last year at cadet level so I want to make it count. Then I move up to juniors so I just want to show what I can do and leave the cadet age group with a bang.”

Petgrave splits his time between training and studying at Harris Academy but he admits it is a career in the sport which is his focus for the future.

“The long-term aim is just to be the best really, hopefully I can get to one of the future Olympics whether that be 2016 or 2020,” he added.

“I started judo when I was four and I just really enjoy it. It was first a hobby but I was getting good at it and started to take it more seriously.

“That’s how I got to where I am now, and hopefully I can keep on progressing.”

The Lloyds Bank Local Heroes programme, in partnership with SportsAid, continues to provide support and funding to emerging British athletes. Over 1,200 Local Heroes have benefited from the programme since 2008. Follow future stars at facebook.com/lloydsbankocalheroes