Gareth Irvine and Nikki Tompkins fly out to Greece at the end of this month to represent Great Britain and hope to be making the same journey in two years time, writes Craig Stoddart.
The pair, aged 16 and 15 respectively, have been chosen to be a part of the squad which competes in the World Junior Taekwondo Championships in Kefalonia, Greece, and the 2004 Olympic Games are being held Athens.
Members of the Chungdokwan Taekwondo Ferryhill club, the pair have both previously won medals at international level and will be hoping to add gold to their collection in Kefalonia.
Mike Campos, of the Ferryhill club says the pair stand a good chance of reaching the Olympic Games in two years time.
He explained, the British Taekwondo Control Board (BTCB) selected Gareth and Nikki for inclusion in the Great Britain squad which heads to Greece and the same board are recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
He said: "The BTCB are the recognised board with the IOC and the people who went to the Sydney Olympics for Britain were selected through the BTCB.
"They have all the attributes to make it. They're tall, they're dedicated and they're gifted.
"The sky's the limit for Gareth and Nikki because if they do well in these championships it will put them in good stead for the future."
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