A TEENAGE taekwondo star is preparing to represent Great Britain on the international stage.

Sophie Ward, from Middleton St George, near Darlington, has been selected to represent Team GB at the Junior European Championships in Latvia next month.

The 17-year-old, who has also been crowned the British champion in her category for the sixth time in a row, attended a number of events in Holland and Austria before being selected.

She has been training in taekwondo since she was nine-years-old and now juggles her training with studying for her A-Levels at Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College, in Darlington.

As well as training in Darlington, Sophie regularly attends events in Manchester, often training alongside Olympic athletes, including gold medallist Jade Jones.

Her mother, Louise, said: “We are really proud of her – she has worked really hard for this.

“She is really excited and is looking forward to going with the team. She will be there for six days and there are competitions on four of those days.”

The trip will cost £1,500, which does not include the cost of travel to and from the airport or the equipment, and the family are fundraising to pay for the trip.

Any money that is left over will go towards buying an electronic scoring system.

To donate visit gofundme.com/xpu5w6p4