A PROMISING young fighter has been selected to represent his country, despite an on-and-off year for action.

Harwich and Dovercourt High School pupil Aston Smith, 15, was chosen after attending the England regional karate selections in Bishops Stortford.

The challenging trial involved three hours of “gruelling” training during the rigorous selection process.

Harwich and Manningtree Standard: Aston SmithAston Smith

To his family’s delight, he was chosen by the coaches to represent the nation in the Southern Regional Karate Team.

His mother, Kizzy, said: “We are very proud of Aston’s achievement which we feel is well deserved.

“He continued his training all the way through the lockdown periods via Zoom which, although helpful, could never replace face-to-face training.

“We are so pleased his hard work and dedication paid off.”

Reacting to the news, the school’s headteacher Kate Finch said: “We are very proud of Aston's achievements this year.

“He has worked hard on his GCSEs all year, including through the challenging remote learning period and now to have this amazing sporting success is fantastic for him, it is so well deserved.”