South Shields judo star makes it to the Games (From This Is Wiltshire)

SARAH Clark will compete in her third Olympic Games after she was named in the British judo squad that was announced yesterday.

Clark, who is from South Shields, has been one of British judo's leading lights for a number of years and will contest the under-57kg category in London.

She went out in the first round in the Beijing Olympics, but is a two-time European gold medal winner and a multiple national champion.

Now based at one of British judo's high-performance centres in Edinburgh, the 34-year-old is currently at a training camp in the Czech Republic completing her preparations for the Games.

Team GB will field a judoka in each of the seven weight categories in both the men's and women's events.

Their best chance of a medal is probably Euan Burton, who made history in 2009 by becoming the first Briton to win the prestigious Kano Cup.

Burton triumphed by beating South Korean Kim Jae-Bum, who won

silver at the Beijing Olympics and is seeded second for London.

The women's team features Karina Bryant, who won an eighth career European Championships medal in April by taking bronze in Chelyabinsk.

This will be Bryant's fourth Olympic appearance and her experience and ability make her a realistic medal contender.

Team GB chef de mission Andy Hunt said: "It is very pleasing to announce a full complement of 14 judokas to compete for Team GB at London.

"This is the first time we've been able to select an athlete in every weight category so it's a great opportunity for British judokas to show what they are capable of, in front of an enthusiastic home crowd, on the greatest sporting stage.

"Great Britain has a proud tradition in the sport of judo, having claimed a fantastic 16 Olympic medals since the sport's introduction at the 1964 Games.

"A number of the talented athletes selected today have produced some outstanding medal-winning performances in international competition since the last Olympic Games, and this should fill them with confidence that they can seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity with both hands and challenge for the Olympic podium in London."