DARTFORD Judo Club’s Ben Quilter took gold at the German Open in Heidelberg on Saturday in the under-60kg category.

The British visually impaired team returned home with four medals from the event and Quilter played a key role in the success.

It is the second gold Quilter has landed at the competition after his 2006 triumph and he also secured silver in 2008.

The Dartford JC member progressed through the preliminary rounds by overcoming Teenu Kuusisto (FIN), Eletherios Zervakis (GRE) and Andriy Butenko (UKR) before defeating Ihar Staselka of Belarus in the semi-final.

Quilter was then awarded the gold medal after Beijing Paralympic bronze medallist Ramin Ibrahmov from Azebaijan withdrew.

Paralympic programme manager Dave Sanders said: “We are pleased with the results.

“It shows good progression from all of the players and they all put in strong performances throughout the day.

“As this is the first event of the year for the team, it has put us in good stead for March’s world championships in Turkey.

“Preparations will continue and we hope the medals keep coming in Turkey.”