TAEKWONDO ace Lauren Williams just missed out on a medal at her first World Grand Prix event in Russia today.

Fighting in the -67kg division, the Blackwood teen won two bouts before a quarter-final exit.

Former European champion Williams began her campaign with a relatively comfortable 23-12 victory over Spaniard Katia Calvar Martinez.

Uzbekistan’s Nigora Tursunkulova proved a tougher proposition for Williams but the Gwent star prevailed 13-8.

However, South Korea’s Rio Olympic champion Oh Hye-ri got the better of Williams in the last eight.

The 2015 world champion edged a high-scoring fight 28-22 to secure her place in the semi-finals.

For Williams, the trip to Moscow gave her the opportunity to bounce back from an agonising loss to China’s Mengyu Zhang at the World Championships in June.