Gemma Gibbons last trick is planned for Rio

Gemma Gibbons is targeting one last shot at Olympic glory before she finally calls time on one of the most successful Great Britain judo careers of recent times. Gemma Gibbons is targeting one last shot at Olympic glory before she finally calls time on one of the most successful Great Britain judo careers of recent times.

The 28-year-old was a shock silver medallist at London 2012 and despite matching that success at last year's Commonwealth Games in Glasgow she maintains she still has much to give.

Gibbons will aim for her first European crown in Baku on Saturday, where the sport's annual continental competition falls under the umbrella of the inaugural European Games.

Gibbons said: "I never say never but I think I'll probably be finished after Rio. Potentially I could do one more but there is other stuff I want to do in my life. My body has given me a hard time over the last couple of years and I'm not so sure it would hold up."

Gibbons rode an emotional rollercoaster up to and during the London Olympics and her mouthed "I love you mum" tribute to her mother, who died of leukaemia when Gibbons was 17 - became one of the abiding images of the Games.

And Gibbons' bid to build on that career-defining success has been hampered by a series of injuries which means she will approach the competition in Baku unseeded and hoping to avoid the big guns in order to secure valuable qualification points for Rio.

Gibbons added: "My whole judo career has been very up and down right up to the Olympics when I didn't know if I would be going or not, then I went at the weight above and I ended up medalling.

"I also had lots of injuries during that time so there have been lots of ups and downs. So you just have to keep pushing through and know that when the ups do come they will feel great and keep driving you on."