Father-of-three qualifies for karate championships

A self-defence instructor has qualified for the European Karate Championships.

Shelim Ali, from Bristol, has been training and teaching martial arts in the city for almost 30 years.

The father-of-three will compete in the veterans category of the competition after an "intense" five-month selection process, making it his first competition in 15 years.

“I’m trying to inspire others," Mr Ali said.

Mr Ali grew up watching action films and was introduced to martial arts at a young age by his father.

The black belt joined Scorpion Karate Academy in Eastville as a teenager, and has gone on to progress as a senior instructor teaching between 50 and 60 students.

His training was put on hold in July 2021 when he suffered from Covid and pneumonia, which left him in a "critical" condition but he has now recovered and is looking forward to the tournament which is being held in Cyprus in October.

"To be here now, to be able to be fit, ready to fight and to be selected for the European Championships is phenomenal," he said.

Mr Ali said he wants to honour the legacy of his late coach who died in January and will spend the coming months training and raising money to fund the trip.

“If you know you’ve got the opportunity to have a second chance at life, just grasp it with both hands. That’s what I’m trying to do," he added.

“The last thing I want to do is get to Cyprus and say I wish I’d trained a little harder.

"I want to get that out the way, have no excuse and give it all I’ve got. It's an exciting journey ahead."

Last year, Mr Ali launched the Knives Down, Guards Up self-defence campaign in Bristol.

It was initially planned to run again in the school summer holidays, but Mr Ali relaunched the scheme in February, following "so many tragic incidents" across the city.

"It's a free self-defence seminar understanding where young people are at and what we can do to support and guide them," he said.

"We're still helping young people behind the scenes and we love to see the transition of them joining the karate academy over a period of time."

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