Williams buoyed by Baku excursion

The 29-year-old, a Commonwealth Games gold medallist in 2014, made his first World Championship appearance since 2011 but Great Britain were defeated 4-2 by Russia in the second round of the mixed team event on Thursday.

With GB losing 3-2, Williams was unable to overcome 2015 World Masters winner Denis Iartcev.

But the Shropshire native, who also represented his country at the 2012 Olympics, had few regrets following his renaissance in Azerbaijan.

"I'm very proud of myself and very proud of the whole team. If you consider Russia are probably one of the biggest powerhouses in the world, we - Great Britain - were right up there with them, every inch of the way," said Williams.

"Everyone gave absolutely every inch they had - unfortunately, it didn't pay off this time.

"It's been seven years since I last competed at a worlds and I'll be honest; I didn't realise just how much I'd missed it until I walked into the stadium.

"I was watching the individual event at home with everyone at Camberley judo club.

"I got here and walked in and I was like: 'wow - this is the reason why I do this, this is the reason why my team do this, this is the reason why we all in Great Britain do this; to have this earned opportunity to come out here and fight the world's best'.

"After not qualifying for the Rio Olympics, I felt a little bit lost within judo. I wasn't sure which direction I wanted to go.

"However, I feel that me getting on the rostrum [would be] a big event - and I really feel I can and believe I will.

"If that can show something to the young players in Great Britain, the kids that I coach in Camberley, my family, my friends, my teammates, the foster children that my mum looks after; if that can show them that through judo, you can make a success of yourself, then that is enough for me to keep putting myself through it."

In individual competition earlier this week, Nekoda Smythe-Davis won GB's first World Judo Championships silver medal since 2009 with victory in the women's -57kg class.

The 25-year-old was defeated by world number two Tsukasa Yoshida, of Japan, in the final.

Sportsbeat 2018