A UNIVERSITY of Worcester student has moved a step closer to realising his Olympic dreams after he was selected for the Under-21 England karate squad.
Sports therapy student Dan Eccles has been in the England programme for a couple of years after being previously selected for the England Under-17s squad.
He has previously competed for England at the Junior and Under-21 European Championships in Russia in 2018.
He now hopes to represent England in the Banzai Cup in Germany in September and at another competition in Venice.
But ultimately he hopes one day to compete in the Olympics.
The 18-year-old, who is a black belt 2nd Dan, said: “I was at training when I found out so I didn’t want to be too excited as there were others waiting to hear, but inside I was like a little boy, saying ‘yes!’
“I have been working towards something and it paid off, so it was a good feeling.”
Dan, who combines his studies with more than 10 hours a week of training, receives support through the university’s Sports Scholarship programme. He took part in a number of England selection days at the end of last year.
He trains with the Kaisho Karate Club in Halesowen and first got into karate at the age of nine.
“I remember someone came into my primary school when I was young and they did a karate demonstration and my mum asked me if I wanted to start lessons,” he said. “After my first few lessons I realised I was better at it than at football and I slowly started to build up and realised I needed to focus on karate.
“Once I started to get into it and competing that’s when I began to love the sport.
The university’s Sport Scholarship programme gives students financial and academic support, but also access to specialist lifestyle advice.
“It really helps make achieving the goals and dreams I have in life a lot easier,” Eccles added.
“It’s also good to have someone to help you who is not focused on academic work or karate but on me as a person, helping me to grow to be a better athlete.
