A girl from Darlington is proving to be a rising star in the world of Taekwondo, and will compete internationally next month.

17-year-old Morgan Curtis was selected to join the World Class GB Taekwondo Team at the National Taekwondo Centre in Manchester earlier this year.

Next month she will compete in the 2022 Junior World Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria, where she will be one of 13 competitors representing Great Britain.

Morgan first showed an interest in the sport from the age of four at Koryo Quakers in Darlington, and started competing at the age of five.

The Northern Echo: Morgan's love for Taekwondo began when she was four and has since gone from strength to strength. Picture: MELISSA CURTISMorgan's love for Taekwondo began when she was four and has since gone from strength to strength. Picture: MELISSA CURTIS

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The teenager has had to quickly adapt to an intense training schedule in Manchester and like all full-time athletes, does not get much chance for ‘down time.’

Morgan’s mum, Melissa, said: “I’m so proud of for doing so well. She’s really loving the training in Manchester and now this is the next step.

“She really is living her best life at the moment. She’s enjoying training, she’s doing what she loves so she doesn’t really see it as hard work, although I’m sure her body tells her she’s working hard. Having said that though, she’s living her dream and she’s so content with life.

“She’s in a really supportive environment where she’s training so I think that’s really helpful as well.”

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Teens are classed as junior Taekwondo athletes at 16 for the World Class GB Taekwondo Team, but Morgan showed so much promise, she was given the chance of competing with seniors.

Morgan’s mum Melissa told The Northern Echo previously: “It was probably seeing Jade Jones win an Olympic gold medal at London 2012. We were all watching it on the tele and Morgan was saying she wanted to do that one day. So that’s probably where her drive came from.”

The last time Morgan competed internationally was before the first lockdown, and although she is excited, nerves have also kicked in.

Morgan and the others will fly out to Bulgaria on July 31, Morgan will compete on August 7, and the group will return to the UK the following day.

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