SCHOOLBOY Tate Groves returned to his favourite martial art after an injury to win a gold medal at the British Open Championships.

The 12-year-old from Crickhowell took the gold medal in the 12 to 13 age category at the Brazilian jiu-jitsu British Open held at the NEC in Birmingham for the sport which involves two fighters grappling with each other and on the ground fighting.

Tate, a year seven pupil at Crickhowell High School, has trained with the Celtic Pride Martial Arts Club in Abertillery since he was eight-years-old but suffered an injury more than two years ago.

Dad Mark said: “He had stopped taking part after he had a bad knee injury, which was a bit like a rugby tackle, but over the last 18 months he’s come back to it and this was his first competition since coming back and he won it.

“After he suffered the injury he went to school the next day but he had to go to hospital and he was on crutches.

“He had lost confidence after the injury and he stopped doing it for a while but decided to come back after a year and started training again.”

Before suffering the injury Tate had won several competitions, including the Welsh kids league title, and open competitions in Bristol.

Mark said Tate took up the sport with his older brother, Isaac, 13, as he had always enjoyed wrestling.

The boys where then pointed in the direction of the Abertillery club after Mark asked a friend if he knew of any clubs they could join.

“Tate was massively into wrestling and he always wanted to grapple whenever I came home, he thought he was the Ultimate Warrior and that’s when I took him and his brother down to Abertillery.”

Mark said the sport had lifted older son Isaac’s confidence.

“Isaac is quite shy and when he won his first gold at the Welsh championships it made a massive difference to him.

“Tate just loves the contact and in school the teacher asked him what he wanted to be when he’s older and he said if not a footballer then a UFC fighter.”