Gorleston teen competitor took up karate to cope with bullies
- Published
Gerard Knight, who took up karate at the age of four will represent GB at the World Martial Arts Games, along with three other youngsters from the same club
A teenager who took up martial arts to deal with being bullied has been chosen to represent Great Britain at the World Martial Arts Games in Florida.
Black belt Gerard Knight, 15, trains at a club in Great Yarmouth in Norfolk.
Speaking about a boy who bullied him at school, he said: "I just thank him.
"Without his bullying, I wouldn't be here right now. I was a little bit chubby and I had buck teeth. I was just bullied all day."
Gerard will be joined in the US by three other members of the club - Roman Holiday, eight, from Great Yarmouth, and Jess Read, 11, and Archie Grinnell, 10, who are both from Gorleston-on-Sea.
Gerard said the club had taught him "life skills... and I'm just more controlled"
Gerard, who is from Gorleston, said: "The last day of school in year six, I pushed my bully in the bin and legged-it because I thought the school would keep me back a year."
The teenager, who has ADHD and dyslexia, said he took up karate initially to deal with the problem and it had empowered him in many other ways.
"It teaches me life skills, because it's all controlled and I just don't go round hitting people," he said.
"I've noticed all my friends are doing dumb stuff and I'm just more controlled."
He qualified for the world games by winning a medal in kickboxing and said he hoped one day to represent GB at the Olympics.
"Going back 11 years, I wouldn't picture myself being a black belt, being as good as I am today and having the opportunity to go into the world games," he said.
Roman Holliday (left), Jess Read and Archie Grinnell will also be competing at the World Martial Arts Games
Gerard is also a carer for his mother, Abi, who has epilepsy and a brain and heart condition.
He manages to combine his sport with schoolwork and helping his mother - "making coffees and teas, hanging the washing and sometimes making dinner".
He once witnessed her having a seizure during a competition, and broke off from the fight to check on her.
"After seeing she was alright I got told to finish the competition, so I did. I won it, and I came back upstairs to check on her," he said.
He has advised other children to take up exercise and to speak out about bullies to a teacher or a responsible adult and "not keep quiet".
Students from the Yarmouth club have competed at the world games before, but it has never sent four club members in the same year.
They have to raise £3,500 to fund their trip to the games which begin on 29 July in Daytona Beach in Florida.
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