Karate kid from Leicester chosen for England team in Commonwealth Championships

At just 14-years-old, Renee Tewley currently holds the title as the English National Champion for her weight, but she will now go head to head with competitors from across the globe at the Commonwealth Karate Championships 2022.

Her passion for the sport began at the tender age of seven years old, but she admitted her journey was not smooth sailing at the start. In a recent interview with LeicestershireLive, she told them that she did not enjoy karate at the first school she attended, even resulting in her dropping out of the sport altogether.

It was at age nine, that she joined the Team Rankine Karate in Wigston, and she has not looked back since. Under the trusted guidance of Sensei Michael Rankine, the teen's career has soared. Renee said: "I like being able to come to Team Rankine and play with people outside of my friendship group - I've made a lot of friends here."

Michael said: "I've seen so much potential from Renee over the years. When she first started, she was like everyone else, but the amount of hard work, passion and dedication she puts in, has taken her to where she is today."

He told LeicestershireLive that he hopes that Renee will reach the top 100 in the world, and that they are working towards her representing the team GB karate team at the Olympics.

Renee assists Michael, by running sessions for four to seven-year olds (also known as the 'Little Rankine's') at the karate club. She said: "I started when I was young and I know exactly how they feel and how nerve racking it can be, so it's nice that I can now help get better."

"I never thought that I'd end up in the position I'm in when I was there age and a lot of them could potentially grow up to compete professionally, so It's an honour to be able to support them on their journey."

The teenager has undertaken intensive preparation for the commonwealth championships. She said that she does an hour and a half of kumite training nearly every day as well as completing morning gym sessions.

She has previously fought on behalf of the regional England team in countries such as France and Venice - but she is excited to take the next step in her career. She said: "It's an amazing feeling to be able to represent England."

Source and Image: Leicester Mercury