Telford star Belle Greer kicks her way to double European medal
A nine-year-old has been hailed a shining light for Telford after she became a double European medal winner in kickboxing.
Belle Greer, 9, is a star of the future after adding to her haul of continental and global golds just three years after trying the combat sport for the first time.
The John Fletcher Primary School pupil, from Madeley, claimed a brilliant gold and silver medal at the WAKO European Championship in Jesolo, near Venice, Italy, across nine days of competition.
Greer powered her way to individual gold, competing against four other young girls in the +36kg weight category and also claimed silver in the four-strong team clash event with colleagues from Team GB. The Telford starlet almost helped salvage gold for her team having fought back from a 7-2 deficit to Bulgaria in the final, to just be edged out 9-7.
It has been a remarkable rise for the youngster, who first attended training and honed her craft at Lee Matthews British Military Martial Arts Academy in Tweedale under coach James McCormick.
Proud father Wayne Greer said: "We are so proud, she is so humble and just takes it all in her stride. But if you put her in that ring she just turns it on.
"She is just chilled out and doesn't realise how good she is. It's amazing for us to watch our little daughter win fights. She's got her discipline and her head on her shoulders. She listens to her coaches and is like a sponge
"It's good for Telford as well. The town can get a bad rap with things going on, but this is great for the area."
The continental success has continued the remarkable fledgling career for Greer, who has already achieved silverware on the national and even global stage.
Last year the schoolgirl dominated a British Championship with five golds to become a two-time champion and a highlight came in Budapest, Hungary, in June with a gold medal at the World Cup against competitors from nations like Australia and Brazil.
Family member Paula Jones added: "She has taken to it like a duck to water, it is lovely to see her succeed."
Wayne admitted other, perhaps more conventional sports and activities for young girls were not for Belle and he and mum Sian decided to see if kickboxing would be her thing.
"We tried to get her into dancing and she didn't like it. We tried gymnastics and she didn't like it. We took her to kickboxing and she was like a moth to a flame with it, she said 'this is a bit of me dad'," Wayne added.
"We just wanted her to get a bit of discipline, understanding of that sort if thing, to ground her, and she just took to it. Maybe she could get a belt, but we never thought she would fight.
"She fought in the Bristol Open last year and won five gold medals to become two-times British champion and hasn't lost a fight this year, she is smashing it."
Belle trains under coach McCormick five days per week at the Madeley-based academy, two to three hours each night.
The full-time club carries a range of kickboxing classes, including programmes for ages four to seven, eight to 13, teenagers, ladies and adults. It also holds wrestling and Brazilian jiu-jitsu sessions.
They have run a two-week return to school offer.
The Greer family hope there could be a big future in the sport ahead for talented Belle. Wayne added: "This is her thing, we're thinking that maybe in the future if she keeps working hard she could possibly look at the Olympic Games."
