THE Abley’s already have a glowing reputation on the Great British taekwondo scene, but the County Durham family has targeted even more success in 2015.

Scott, Jamie and Simone, from Middlestone Moor, Spennymoor, are all enjoying flourishing careers in the sport and they could go from strength to strength with plenty on the horizon.

Fourteen-year-old Simone is the youngest, but arguably the brightest talent having been identified as a potential Olympian at the 2020 Tokyo Games.

Her form in 2014 provided ample evidence she has what it takes to reach the top and after winning a bronze medal at the Cadet World Championships and the British and Commonwealth title, she was named BBC North-East’s Young Sports Personality of the Year in December.

“It was really a nice experience and I felt really proud to win it,” said Simone, who won The Northern Echo’s Local Heroes Award for Most Promising New Talent in 2013. “I didn’t think many people would recognise a taekwondo athlete so it came as a surprise.”

This year Simone steps up to junior level having fought as a cadet, but father Andrew is confident the teenager will have no problems adjusting to the new challenge.

“We’re confident Simone can handle the junior competition,” he said. “Last year, she was already fighting with and more importantly, beating girls in that category, showing she has what it takes to cope.

“Naturally there may be a slight drop off to begin with as she becomes used to the older competition. However, considering her training and attitude, we think she will maintain her good performances.”

Simone added: “I feel I am strong and will only keep getting stronger with my training. I think I’ve got a good chance against the juniors.”

Brother Jamie’s road to success has not been as straightforward as Simone’s. The County Durham athlete has won several medals competing for his country, but the 19-year-old was dealt a blow when he was released from the GB squad.

That hasn’t deterred Jamie, though, and he is eyeing a return to the national squad this year having trained in Serbia and beaten one of Great Britain’s top-ranked fighters at the Commonwealth Championships.

“I’ve really enjoyed it,” Jamie said. “All the training facilities are close together so there isn’t much travelling and I work with a really good group.

“It is a bit of a struggle with the language barrier, as most speak broken English at best. However, everyone is really welcoming and hard-working and it has been a great environment.”

Oldest sibling Scott has taken a slightly different career path to Simone and Jamie. The 23-year-old enjoyed a successful fighting career, in which he won medals at national and international competitions.

He has since moved into coaching and been accepted onto the Durham Institute of Sport scheme, supported by Durham University and Durham Council, and like his brother and sister, the coach is also targeting Olympic success.

He said: “When I was studying for my sport science degree alongside my taekwondo training, I kept finding myself learning new things that I could apply to my sport.

“I became really interested in how I could incorporate what I had learned into taekwondo which I think, prompted me to move into coaching.”

Having three children competing at a high level is something dad Andrew is extremely proud of, even if it means spending a vast amount of money supporting them with the sport predominantly self-funded.

“When one of your children first starts a sport, you support them. Yet once my wife and I realised that the kids all had potential to compete at the highest level, we encouraged them to work at it.

“It is a fantastic sport. It has seen all three makes friends all across the world and travel to so many brilliant countries. We’ve been very fortunate and we hope they continue to keep improving in the sport they love.

“I always tell people, when the kids started, I was driving a six-month-old BMW 7 Series. Now I am driving an eight-year-old Saab.

“If you had told me 15 years ago, that I would be spending a considerable amount of the family income funding my kids’ taekwondo careers, I’d have said not on your life.

“But now, considering their success, we just manage to make it work. It may be hard but we’re extremely proud of what Simone, Scott and Jamie have achieved and optimistic for what they can achieve in the future.”