Immingham's very own karate kid will be representing England at the upcoming World Championships.
Marley Strong, 10, has been learning karate for the last three years having worked his way up to brown belt. Now, he has received the biggest accolade of all, being selected to represent his country.
The World Championships will see around 40,000 contestants flock to Dundee, Scotland, from Thursday, 13 July, to Sunday, 16 July. For dad Steve, it's a very proud moment to see his son achieve something so early on in his sporting career.
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He said: "He's only been doing it for about three years, but he's taken to it like a duck to water. He's currently training at Lincs Karate in Immingham six hours a week, whilst also training in MMA for four hours a week too.
"Once a month, we'll travel down to Bury for him to train with the national team." When Steve heard about the club starting up, he thought it was perfect for sports mad Marley and decided to sign him up. From his first day, his teachers knew he had potential.
"From the first time we went, they said they could see something in him and knew he would be good in time." Being told about his acceptance into the England squad last month, Steve and family have been overwhelmed with pride.
He said: "It was a surprise when he got called up as only five out of around 40 people get chosen from across the country. When we found out, we were ecstatic and so proud of him.
"His school even played a little video of him to show off what he'd achieved, it's great to see so many people behind him. He was over the moon with himself when he found out."
Marley added: "I'm feeling really excited that I have been chosen, but I know it will be nerve racking on the day. It means a lot to be able to represent my country though and I'm so happy I've been selected.
"When I first started, my coaches said they could see something in me and have been pushing me further than I thought I could go ever since. I hope to carry on with this for as long as I can and the same goes for all the other sports I do too."
