Natalie Powell has been named in the first wave of judoka for the European Championships in Israel in April.

The Merthyr Tydfil-born fighter is one of eight selected to compete for GB in Tel Aviv on April 26-28.

Powell, currently world ranked No 3 having become the first British female to top the rankings last year, will compete in the -78kg category.

At last year’s Europeans in Warsaw, Powell took the bronze medal having also won bronze at the championships in Kazan in 2016.

The 27-year-old also claimed bronze at the Dusseldorf Grand Slam in February.

British Judo Performance Director Nigel Donohue said: “The fact that we’ve got such a strong team already after the first round of selections is testament to the performances of this group of judoka who have performed consistently over the last year.

“They have medalled at some of the toughest competitions in the world over the last 12 months including the World Championships and the Paris Grand Slam.

“There is still a month’s worth of competitions before the final round of selections at the start of April and we’re looking forward to seeing how our GB judoka perform at some high-class tournaments.”