Karate ace Becky earns GB call

The 16-year-old, who has been capped by England at junior level a club record seven times, has earned a place in the Great Britain squad.

The Bexhill High School student will link up with the party for a series of training sessions in preparation for the first ever Kyokushinkai Junior World Tournament in Chur, Switzerland, next July.

If she were to fight in Switzerland, Becky would be involved in full-contact knockdown competition for the first time.

She commented: "The full-contact part of karate is very new to me as, in the UK, we have to wait until we are 18 (before moving into that form of competition). If I get into the team, I will be up against the best in the world like the Russians who have been able to train (in) knockdown for years."

Becky is following in the footsteps of her instructor, Sensei Chris Seal, who is a regular member of the Great Britain senior team.