Stockport Grammar Pupils Welcome Double World Taekwondo Champion
Pupils at Stockport Grammar School had a wonderful visit from Great Britain Double World Taekwondo Champion Bianca Walkden as she hopes to inspire the next generation of sporting superstars.
The visit saw her lead a training session for pupils, allowing them to learn first-hand from someone who has reached the pinnacle of their sport. The opportunity was arranged by Bianca’s mouth guard provider, OPRO.
The group of pupils had great fun learning a range of Taekwondo moves from the correct stance to kicks, jabs and punches.
From Liverpool, Bianca began Taekwondo at age 11 and has already enjoyed an incredibly successful career, having won gold at the last two World Championships and bronze at the most recent Olympics in Rio in 2016.
Having had her fair share of ups and downs through her sporting journey, the visit also saw Bianca lead a Q & A session, where she shared advice on the benefits of being involved in sport, also communicating the importance of safety and finding balance as an elite athlete. Questions by the pupils ranged from asking how she stayed motivated, whether it hurt getting hit in the sport and what age she began her journey in Taekwondo.
The visit was part of a wider initiative to build on the legacy of London 2012, Rio and beyond, to inspire thousands more girls and boys to take part in sport by 2020.
Chris Wright, Head of PE at Stockport Grammar School said: “We create an exciting sporting environment for our pupils at SGS – with an exceptionally diverse and inclusive range of activities and the level of success which sees our teams win national titles. Bianca’s achievements are truly inspirational and she shares our vision to encourage every child to enjoy sport and to continue this enthusiasm into adult life; we are delighted that she chose to visit and the pupils had a fantastic time.”
Bianca commented: “For me, it really is about inspiring the next generation and continuing to build the profile of the sport in the UK. I had a lot of fun out there, and with OPRO’s support in educating youngsters on how they can take part in a safe way, I think we can really drive participation levels in the coming years.” She added: “I’ll be back in Manchester in May to defend my world title and hopefully I’ve inspired some of the pupils I met today to come and cheer me on there – there’s no reason why that can’t be them one day too.”
