A WHITCHURCH youngster is aiming for the Olympics after becoming a black belt in Tae Kwon Do at eight-years-old.

Dexter Hill, who recently celebrated his ninth birthday, has been attending Whitchurch Tae Kwon Do Club since he was four-years-old.

In that time he has risen through the belts, as well as competed on the national and international stage with great success.

Dexter is now a black belt, first dan, something he has achieved despite the difficulties of a year of coronavirus restrictions.

Dad Paul said Dexter's success is a result of hard work and 'lots of effort'.

"Dexter started just before his fourth birthday as a Tae Kwon-Do Association of Great Britain (TAGB) Tiger and instantly took a liking to the sport," said Paul.

"He successfully completed 10 belt gradings under the examination of the TAGB Grandmaster.

"When the first lock down happened we thought that Dexter would be put back a couple of years because of the lack of club training sessions.

"The school set up zoom sessions and he really put a lot of effort into training at home, he was so determined to get his first dan black belt.

"He not only had to train but also study the history of Tae Kwon Do and be able to demonstrate every grading from his past including every learn all his movements in Korean.

"He also competed in the World Championships finishing with a bronze and also took three golds from the British Championships.

"Now he is working with the school's tigers, hoping to inspire them.

"He's now nine years old and has genuine hopes to one day compete in the Olympics."

To learn more about Whitchurch Tae Kwon Do, visit facebook.com/WhitchurchTKD