A teenager who takes up martial arts to deal with bullying has been selected to represent Britain at the World Martial Arts Games in Florida.
15-year-old black belt Gerard Knight trains at a club in Great Yarmouth in Norfolk.
Of a boy who bullied him at school, he said, “I just thank him.”
“If it weren’t for his bullying, I wouldn’t be here now. I was a bit chubby and had buck teeth. I was just being 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, both from Gorleston-on-Sea.
Gerard, who is from Gorleston, said: “On the last day of school in sixth year I threw my bully in the bin and kicked him because I thought school was going to put me off a year.”
The teenager, who suffers from ADHD and dyslexia, said he first took up karate to deal with the problem and it has empowered him in many other ways.
“It teaches me life skills because everything is under control and I just don’t go around hitting people,” he said.
“I’ve noticed that all my friends do stupid things and I’m just more in control.”
He qualified for the World Games by winning a medal in kickboxing and said he hopes to one day represent Great Britain at the Olympics.
“Eleven years ago I couldn’t have imagined having a black belt, being as good as I am today and having the opportunity to play in the World Games,” he said.
Gerard also takes care of his mother, Abi, who suffers from epilepsy and a brain and heart condition.
He manages to combine his sport with school work and helping his mother – “making coffee and tea, hanging out the laundry and sometimes preparing dinner”.
He once witnessed her throwing a fit during a competition and stopped the fight to check on her.
“After seeing that she was ok I was told to quit the competition and I did. I won and went back upstairs to check on her,” he said.
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He has advised other children to play sports and talk to a teacher or responsible adult about bullying and “don’t keep quiet”.
Yarmouth Club students have competed in the World Games, but no four club members have ever been sent in the same year.
They need to raise £3,500 to fund their trip to the Games, which begin July 29 in Daytona Beach, Florida.
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