LINKS Karate Club quartet Sam Day, Mitchell Thorpe, Ethan Day and Charlotte Hope were selected to represent England at the European Karate Cadet, Junior and Under-21 Championships, in Russia.

Ethan Day returned with a silver while Hope gained a gold medal and become European champion.

All four had been training for the event with Links coach Paul Harris and flew to Moscow and then on to Sochi, on the Black Sea coast.

Sam Day and Thorpe, unfortunately, went out in the early rounds but fought well and gained essential experience for future events.

Ethan Day, who attends Tendring Technology College and trains with Links in Dovercourt, Wix and Clacton, was the selected individual male in the 14 to 15 years -52kg Cadet section.

He went through the rounds, beating opponents from Armenia 2-0, Montenegro 1-0, Bulgaria 5-0 and Serbia 3-1.

This took him all the way to the final against a Russian opponent, where he lost out 2-0.

It meant he returned home with a well-deserved silver medal.

Hope, who attends Colchester Institute and trains with Links in Clacton and Great Holland, was selected as the female junior 16 to 17 years -59kg fighter. She took her group by storm, beating opponents from Montenegro 8-0, Estonia 6-0, Switzerland 7-0 and Turkey 5-0.

She then won the final against France 9-4 to gain a gold medal and become European champion.

Links chief instructor Harris said: "I'd like to congratulate our medal winners and both I and the club are very proud of all four athletes and their great achievements."

For more information on Links contact Harris on 01255 830136 or 07766 170848, email paul@linkskarate.co.uk, visit www.linkskarate.co.uk or find the club on Facebook.