Jones and Mandic keen to return to winning ways

Each of the four weight classes in the competition will involve at least one Olympic medallist. London 2012 champions Jade Jones and Milica Mandic will be particularly keen to see their form return on the big stage.

Jones finished fifth at the 2015 world championships and faces tough competition in the -57kg class from that competition's silver medallist Eva Calvo Gomez of Spain and Hungarian bronze medal winner Edina Kotsis.

In the +67kg category, Serbian Mandic failed to win a medal at the world championships after her campaign was hampered by a stomach muscle injury.

"In my category, we will have a very good competition, because we also get points for the world ranking list. You get the same number of points as a European championship or a Grand Prix tournament, so it's very important for us towards the Olympic Games,"  Mandic said.

She will be up against the 2015 world champion Bianca Walkden in the +67kg class, another British medal hope.

Favourites in the -67kg competition are 2012 Olympic and 2015 world silver medallist Nur Tatur of Turkey and London Olympic bronze medallist Anastasiia Baryshnikova.

Veteran 2012 Olympic silver medallist Brigida Yague of Spain and Olympic bronze medallist Lucija Zaninovic of Croatia feature in the -49kg event, the lowest weight category in Baku.

The competition runs from 16 to 19 June at Crystal Hall 3 with one women's and one men's weight class per day.

 

(Baku2015.com)