Bristol karate instructor Sherim Ali has qualified for the tournament

A self-defence instructor has qualified to compete in the European Karate Championships.

Sherim 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 at the event after a “tough” five-month selection process, marking his first appearance in 15 years.

“I try to inspire other people,” Ali said.

Ali grew up watching action movies and was trained in martial arts by his father at an early age.

The black belt holder enrolled at Scorpion Karate Academy in Eastville as a teenager and has grown to become a senior instructor teaching 50 to 60 students.

He was “critically ill” with COVID-19 and pneumonia in July 2021, which caused him to stop training, but he has now recovered and is looking forward to competing in Cyprus in October.

“It's fantastic to be here now, fit and ready to compete and to be selected for the European Championships,” he said.

Ali said he wanted to honour the legacy of his coach, who passed away in January, and would spend the next few months raising money for training and travel.

“When you know you have the opportunity to get a second chance at life, you just grab it with both hands. That's what I'm going to do,” he added.

“The worst thing for me would be to arrive in Cyprus and say I wish I had trained a little harder.

“I want to see it through, give it my all and make no excuses. It's going to be an exciting journey.”

Mr Ali launched a self-defence campaign in Bristol last year called “Put the Knife Down, Put the Guard Up”.

It had originally been planned to be held again during the summer school holidays, but Mr Ali relaunched the scheme in February after “too many tragic incidents” had occurred in the city.

“This is a free self-defence seminar to help young people understand where they are and what we can do to support and guide them,” he said.

“We still work behind the scenes helping young people and love watching them join the karate dojo over time.”