Shropshire Star

Ryan changes tack for his Olympic dream

As a kickboxer, Telford's Ryan Marlow won seven world titles, two European championships and 15 British crowns.

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Now the talented 19-year-old is aiming to fulfil another ambition – by becoming an Olympic Taekwondo star.

Marlow, who took up karate at the age of four, has always dreamed of representing Great Britain at the Olympic Games one day.

It was a dream that, until very recently, had looked a major long shot despite his success in the kickboxing ring, as his chosen martial art is not currently an Olympic sport.

But those odds now look to have tumbled significantly, after he won a place on the exclusive Great Britain Taekwondo world class performance programme.

GB Taekwondo run a nationwide talent-spotting programme called Fighting Chance, which aims to turn martial arts fighters from a whole range of combat sports into potential Taekwondo Olympic champions.

The latest edition of the scheme, which has been conducted in three of the last five years, specifically targeted heavyweights.

As an under-80kg fighter, Marlow — who learned kickboxing under the tutelage of Lee Matthews British Military Martial Arts in Telford and British Sports Martial Arts in Brierley Hill — fits that specification perfectly.

He applied last year and he has since seized his chance with both hands.

More than 100 fighters were chosen to attend phase one of the selection process, which saw them put through their paces at a testing day in Manchester in February.

A week-long residential boot camp followed for a small number of selected applicants and from there just three people – including Marlow – have been accepted on to the world class performance programme.

Marlow, a former Phoenix Academy pupil, said: " I feel honoured and proud to be picked from so many aspiring and talented athletes.

"Fighting chance is a fantastic programme which allows all athletes from various backgrounds to show their full potential. It gives everyone an equal chance to be selected."

Ryan's delighted mother Sonia added: "His ambition has always been to go to the Olympics and represent his county, but you could see that that wasn't going to happen, because kickboxing is not Olympic sport.

"He realised he was going to have to make the transition to an Olympic sport.

"When the opportunity came up to apply for Fighting Chance he thought, 'I'll apply and see what happens' – and now he has been selected. We are, obviously, very proud."

Marlow has been chosen for the full-time programme at the GB Academy in Manchester.

He will train alongside the likes of Olympic and European Games bronze medallist Lutalo Muhammad as well as recent World Championship silver medallist Damon Sansum.

They also earned their spots on the team through the Fighting Chance programme and Marlow hopes to follow in their footsteps in the coming years.

He said: "My ambition is to become a Taekwondo world and European champion but my ultimate goal would be to bring home an Olympic gold medal.

"I am going to work hard with the coaches, train hard and become the best I can be."

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