By Nick Butler

Euan Burton celebrates after winning the all British final in GlasgowOctober 20 - Scotland's Euan Burton ensured there was plenty for the home crowd to celebrate when he won the under 100 kilogram category of the second day of the European Open in Glasgow's Emirates Arena.


It represented a successful move-up for Burton from the under 81kg division he had previously competed in when he had won bronze medals at both the 2007 and the 2010 World Championships and he will be hoping it is a good omen for next year's Commonwealth Games, which will be staged in the same arena.

In his first European Open competition in his new division, the Edinburgh-based judoka beat rivals from the United States, Portugal and Australia to ensure an all British final against Ben Fletcher, the 2011 world junior bronze medallist.

Burton made his experience count as he applied a choke within 90 seconds to win by ippon and he said that "it's nice to win a medal here in Glasgow ahead of the Commonwealth Games".

"This competition is a step up from my last medal and it's nice to win in at an event that British Judo has made pretty special," he added.

"I've fought Ben a couple of times, mainly more for fun in Randori [a Japanese term for free-style practice], but he's a really good judo player - up and coming and somebody the British public should definitely be looking out for in the future.

"To be fighting him in the final is good for the health of British Judo."

Euan Burton stands on top of the podium after winning the mens under 100kg gold medal in GlasgowEuan Burton stands on top of the podium after winning the mens under 100kg gold medal in Glasgow, before being presented with his medal by his wife, the Olympic silver medalist Gemma Gibbons


Elsewhere on the second day of the event the under 90kg division was won by Israel's Alon Sasson in an entertaining contest against Italy's Guiliano Loporchio.

Hungary's Attila Istvan Ungvari had a slightly easier final to take the under 81kg title after his Russian opponent Maxim Buga withdrew through injury.

Belgium's Benjamin Harmegnies won the over 100kg title after beating Romania's Daniel Natea.

There was also more home success for British athletes as Theo Spaliding Macintosh and another Edinburgh athlete, Matt Purssey, took the two under 90kg bronze medals.

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