The teenage martial arts sensation has set his sights on great success in Great Britain and a possible Olympic spot, as he ranks number one in the British Judo world.
Ripon Grammar School pupil Tom Deniz tops the latest British Judo rankings for Under-18s competing under 66kg.
This comes after a series of successes in prestigious national and international competitions.
Competing against 40 of Britain's top athletes at the prestigious British Open Judo Championships in London earlier this year, Tom won every match, winning gold and being crowned British Open Champion.
Tom Deniz competing in judo (Image: RIPON GRAMMAR)
He went on to represent England Under-18s in Italy, Spain and Germany, and was also selected to represent GB at the European Cup in Porec, Croatia.
Although he is only 17 years old, he is scheduled to play for the GB U21 team in Lithuania at the end of May.
The Year 6 student, who lives near Harrogate, is studying for A-levels in Mathematics, as well as Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry, and hopes to study Astrophysics or Engineering at University.
Tom on the podium at a recent event (Image: RIPON GRAMMAR)
A former York City Bath Club swimmer, York rugby player and keen runner, he followed his father into judo when he was just six years old.
He earned his first degree black belt before his 16th birthday, which was unusual, and trained three nights a week with British Judo Vice-President Neil Fletcher at the Pudsey Judo Club in Leeds. I'm here.
Tom has won national medals every year outside of Covid-19 dating back to 2017, including titles at the British Under-12s, British Open Judo and Northern Ireland Open Championships, all in 2018. It was acquired in 2016.
Teenager now aims for global success and a chance to qualify for the Olympics (Image: RIPON GRAMMAR)
Since September 2023, he has won silver at the Welsh Open and gold at the Scottish Open and British Open Championships.
His ambition is to continue to represent Great Britain in major international matches over the next few years, alongside his A-level and university studies.
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He draws inspiration from Olympic champion Teddy Riner and Tadahiro Nomura, the only judoka to win three consecutive Olympic individual gold medals.
“I love judo because of the thrill of winning and the adrenaline rush of competing directly physically,” he explains.
“I love identifying my opponents and devising strategies to win while developing new throwing styles and techniques.”
