 Kicking
for Great Britain
Sports Centre Supervisor
Tariq Iqbal is jumping for joy after bringing home silver and bronze in
the Tae Kwon Do world championships.
Tariq entered the
international sporting arena after being selected for the Great Britain
squad to compete in the World Championships in Miami last November - a
tremendous achievement considering he had recently been forced to take
a year out from his favourite sport because of injury.
He said: "It was brilliant
taking part. Tae Kwon Do is really big in Miami in the US so you get bigger
crowds and better competitors."
Tariq, who recently
gained his third degree black belt, fights in the lightweight category
- 60kg to 65kg or 9st 6lbs to 10st 3lbs.
Since beginning Tae
Kwon Do at the University 12 years ago, he has won English, Scottish,
Welsh and British championships. His sporting travels have taken him all
around Britain, and further afield to Australia, Holland, Ireland, Poland,
Russia, Spain and Switzerland.
In both 1992 and
1994, Tariq was part of the British team which won European gold and,
also in the same year, he also won the individual world silver medal,
being pipped by only 1 point for the gold. He also won world silver with
the English team.
To maintain such a
high level of competition, he subjects himself to a rigorous training
regime with weekly visits to Hinkley, near Leicester, to train with the
Great Britain squad.
Tariq's instructor,
and the England and Great Britain coach, is Kenny Walton - who also teaches
at the University's Sports Centre. Tariq's most significant achievement
to date was being judged the Best International Fighter of the Year at
the British Championships in Bristol in 1996 followed by a world bronze
individual medal in 1997. He dominated the biennial European Championships
in 1998 and 2000, winning gold in the individuals in both years. Tariq
now has high hopes for the future - his final sporting target is to captain
the English and Great Britain teams.
Director of Physical
Recreation Steve Teasdale said: "A quiet unassuming man, Tariq was a little
reluctant to be interviewed regarding his involvement in the World class
sport arena which his colleagues had slowly started to discover. When
I finally sat him down in my office, it began to emerge that he had, indeed,
been hiding his light under a bushel. He carries with him for his future
successes the good wishes of his colleagues here at the University."
Tariq, who is sponsored
by Tae Kwon Do International in association with the Tchoukball Association
of Great Britain (TAGB), will now compete in the Welsh championships in
March.
- Anyone interested
in learning Tae Kwon Do should contact the Sports Centre on 01274 (23)4871
or Kenny Walton on 07973 883971.
11 February
2002
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