YOUCEF Alfajare has his sights set on European Cup glory after a superb gold medal performance at the Kent International competition.

The Grimsby heavyweight judo star battled his way through four tough contests at Crystal Palace to take first place in the prestigious event.

And now the 25-year-old from Terry Alltoft's Grimsby Judo Club in Sutcliffe Avenue is gunning for more success at the Euro's in Istanbul later this month.

Following his return from a cruciate ligament knee injury in March, the victory gave Alfajare his second gold medal of the year and culminated in an impressive win over Mike Kondjo in the final.

Fellow Britons Ronnie Plumb and Samson Omonua took the bronze medals.

Reflecting on his performance, Alfajare said: "The final was a real battle and he was a very good fighter.

"It was my first time at the Kent International so I was really pleased to get the gold.

"It gives me a lot of confidence going into the European Cup.

"And in the second round I managed to beat the guy who I lost to at the British Open last month, so that was very satisfying as well."

Looking beyond the next event in Turkey, he added: "After the European Cup I am going to the Welsh Open in Cardiff at the end of August, and aiming for more success."

As reported in the Telegraph, Alfajare's burning ambition is to make the Great Britain team for the 2012 London Olympics.

This target was given a timely boost when the player was called up to a GB training camp in Dartford recently.

And if his training regime is anything to go by, he has a great chance of making the squad: " I train twice a week in Grimsby with my coach Terry (Alltoft) and, because I work a lot in London, train down there as well," he explained.

"I also work with the GB team once a month and do weights four times a week.

"It means I am constantly improving, both technically and in terms of my fitness. I'm really looking forward to the events coming up."