The Berry athlete had appeared in trouble at times during her decider against Canada's Kelly Deguchi, who put Easton under pressure on multiple occasions.

It took "golden score" to decide the winner, which is the equivalent of a sudden-death overtime. During this period, Easton was able to find something extra to clinch the crucial point and claim the gold.

"It's so good, it's very exciting. It's something that I've been dreaming about so it's exciting to make it happen," the 26-year-old told Channel Seven afterwards.

"I was falling behind in the middle and going into golden score, and I just thought that I had to refocus and get back into it, or I was going to let the match slide. So I switched that on and it ended well.

"I just reset and went back to my game plan. I got a bit frantic in the middle so I went back to focusing on the process and the gripping plan."

Read more: McKeon secures 12^th Commonwealth Games gold medal

Easton's journey in judo started about 15 years ago when she joined the Bushido Judo Club in Shoalhaven Heads.

She showed immediate promise in the score, going on to secure three successive Australian Under-21s Titles between 2014 and 2016, before claiming the equivalent senior titles the following three years.

Other highlights included claiming bronze at the 2019 Sarajevo European Cup, while she has also appeared at four World Championships.

Fellow Illawarra judo talent Abigail Paduch, 22, is set to be in action in Birmingham over the next few days in the women's over 78kg class.

Paduch - who grew up in Oak Flats before moving to Albion Park - is also competing at her first Commonwealth Games in 2022.

To read more stories, download the Illawarra Mercury news app in the Apple Store or Google Play.

Sign up for breaking news emails below.