Euro rookie Lily Rafferty wins European judo silver medal

Despite being a rookie in Luxembourg, Lanark Grammar pupil Lily (12) won all of her bouts within the regulation three minutes and was only beaten in the final by a British champion.

“Lily really just went there to gain experience,” her dad Mark told the Carluke and Lanark Gazette.

“It was her first venture into international judo.

“I didn’t expect her to win a medal.

“If she had even won one fight it would have been great.

“To get a silver medal was unexpected, a heck of an achievement against the best in Europe.

“The family are really excited by what the future brings for Lily.

“We think she is going to be a tremendous prospect.

“Not only is she winning these medals but she is so young.

“She is competing against girls that are 14 or 15 years old yet she manages to hold her own against them.

“She is doing really, really well.”

The judo format in Luxembourg meant that all fighters had to score their points within the initial three-minute period.

A failure to do so meant that the bouts went into overtime, but Lily wasn’t required to do this in any of the contests she won.