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ST HELENS judoka Amy Livesey flies out for the 2018 World Judo Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan next week (20 – 27 September) hoping to build on last year’s fine performance.

Livesey, who is one of three British judoka ranked inside the world top 20 at -63kg will be looking to back up her seventh place finish at last year’s World Championships.

After missing the early part of the year, Livesey bounced back to earn her selection, with training camps in Japan, Czech Republic and Holland.

Tournament wise this year she has seventh place finishes at the Tunis and Zagreb Grand Prix event to earn the call-up.

And the SKK member, who has trained full time at the British Judo Centre of Excellence in Walsall for the past four years, is relishing the tournament against the best in the world.

Livesey said: “I feel like I am in the best shape that I have been in for a while.

“Last year was a really good year for me, with my first Grand Prix medal and a top-eight seeding at the World Championships. I came seventh.

“It is a bit different this year because I am not seeded so I could be paired with the Olympic or World Champion straight away.

“Last year I was gutted I just missed out on getting into the bronze match and it was close.

“That said, I was happy with seventh in my first Worlds.

“This year I want a good performance and I want to be in a medal match.

“It would nice to get a good draw. It is straight knockout, but if you get into the quarter final you go into the repechage. All the fights before that you must win or you are out.

Amy, who has been involved in the sport for 17 years, is part of a big judo family with siblings Owen and Bekky also competing at the elite level.

After the World Championships Livesey will continue to clock up the air miles with trips to Cancun and then the Masters in China.

She will aiming to accrue points in those competitions from now, which ultimately count towards 2020 Olympic places in Japan.

And that is major ambition for the 24-year-old. The top 16 in the world, based on one player per country, will earn selection for Tokyo.

"That is what I am here for and I have got a good chance. Even though I was out for six months I am still in the world top 20. That is what I am aiming for," she said.