An Epsom schoolgirl has been congratulated by the House of Commons for her double-gold win at an international Taekwondo competition.
Leyla Palser, 12, then went on to win a second double gold in the December British Nationals and won silver when she represented Great Britain in the Under 14 Poomsae Team on January 21.
Poomsae is a defined set of defence and attack moves; Leyla competes in both sparring and the poomsae side of Taekwondo.
Leyla’s martial arts prowess is well-known at Blenheim High School where she studies, especially since Parliament wrote to the school to congratulate her achievements.
She said: “People mess around with me, they say I could fight them.
“It’s quite funny sometimes, especially with the boys. They think they’re tough, but I could probably floor them.”
The fantastic news that Leyla would join Team GB came by post.
Leyla said: “At first, when I got the letter I thought I was dreaming. It took a while for the excitement and happiness to sink in. I’m proud of myself and what I have achieved in the past year.”
“When I first joined [the team] it was awkward because all the other girls had been there a year, but after a few minutes we got talking and it’s been really nice being included.
“Training has been going good, I have recently been working hard because I’ve got a big European selection competition this weekend.”
Leyla hopes to compete in the Olympics when she is old enough and has ambitions to make Taekwondo her full-time career.
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