A LAMPETER kickboxer is rolling back the years and has been selected to represent Team GB at the World Martial Arts Games.

45-year-old Sifu Dan Cooke teaches kickboxing at the Wellbeing Centre, in Lampeter, Zheng Dao Lo Chinese Kickboxing, which translates to 'The Way of the True Path'.

Dan’s certainly on the path to success and will represent Team GB at the games on Oslo in November, 25 years after he last represented GB and took a bronze medal in the 2000 World Kickboxing Championships in Prague.

Dan said: “Back in November I competed at the Midlands Open Martial Arts Competition.

“I hadn't fought since before lockdown and, as I'm getting older, I thought I'd have one last shake of the dice before focusing purely on my students.

“But I wanted to show them that I can still do what I teach.

“It turned out I can. I walked away from the tournament with two gold medals - Men's Blackbelt Heavyweight Points and Men's Blackbelt Heavyweight Continuous.

“Those wins also earned me an invite to the Team GB selection day all the way over in Norwich on 1 February.

“After a gruelling day of multiple rounds of fighting against various opponents in front of a panel of the some of the top martial artists in the UK I was sent on my merry way to finish the 440-mile round trip and await the verdict via email.

“It seemed to take a long time to come around but on Thursday I got the email I was awaiting.

“I had been selected for both fighting categories Points and Continuous.

“I am training like a mad man along with my students as I desperately want to better my last result.”

The Zheng Dao Lo Academy aims to promote Chinese martial arts to people of all ages.