The 28-year-old, whose previous best World Cup performance was a seventh place, will now have put himself firmly on the radar of the newly established performance director for British Judo, Daniel Lascau, who will also have been gratified that the new emphasis on gaining Olympic ranking points through international competition is bearing early fruit.

Sherrington was one of seven British medallists in Samoa, with Karina Bryant (+78kg) and Sally Conway (-70kg), also topping the medal rostrum.

Winston Gordon (-90kg) earned silver, while Sarah Adlington (+78kg), Gemma Gibbons (-70kg) and Faith Pitman (-63kg) all claimed bronze.

Connie Ramsay (-57kg) took fifth, while Tom Davis (-81kg) finished in seventh place.

Those successes will help build up crucial points that will ultimately determine the seedings for the Olympic competition.

Britain has the option of filling seven female and seven male places at the 2012 Games.

Britain also earned success in Spain, where 13 medals were won in the Malaga European Cup.

This event offered valuable experience to a number of promising younger fighters, as well as offering an opportunity for established judo players such as Kelly Edwards, the British number one, and Sophie Cox, European bronze medallist, the chance to get back into action after recovering from injury.

Edwards took gold in the -48kg category, with other golds being supplied by Louise Renicks (-52kg), Natalie Powell (-78kg) and Andrew Burns (-90kg).

Michael Horley (-90kg) and Adam Hall (-100kg) took silver, while bronze medals went to Cox and Stephanie Inglis (both -57kg), Jodie Mullen (-63kg) and Fiona Jones (-78kg).

Brandon Dodge and Graham Trinder (both -60kg) also took bronze medals along with Theo Spalding-McIntosh (-90kg).

Edwards and Spalding-McIntosh will be among those competing in the European Under 23 Championships in Russia next weekend, while Cox will compete in the Amsterdam Grand Prix.

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]