HORWICH teenager Matthew Brindle showcased his talents along with international stars at the Dutch Open Taekwondo Championships.

Matthew, aged 15, bowed out in the last 32 of his inaugural G1 event, where competitors battle it out for international ranking points.

Having only taken up the sport as a 13-year-old, he showed immense promise in rubbing shoulders with some of the best fighters from across the globe.

His coach, former GB competitor Rachel Salt, said: “Matthew has gone from strength to strength in just over two years.

“This was his first tournament, and he has come into his own. The coach who was with him says he brought the best out of the whole team that day.

“He has showed that he can get up there with national team players, and perform just as well as they can.”

Matthew’s tournament came to a premature end as a controversial refereeing decision saw him eliminated just two rounds shy of the quarter-finals.

His team contested a decision and asked for a video replay, but the request was lost in translation and officials reviewed the wrong clip.

Although this will have limited his ranking points and kept him at arm’s length from the British Taekwondo Talent Pathway, the future looks bright for Matthew.

He has attended talent club events with Team GB, and Salt hopes he can increase his profile at future events.

“His next competition is in Bonn in Germany,” she said.

“That is a selection event for the World Championships, which take place later next year.

“Depending on how well he does there, he could end up being selected for the team to fight at the end of the year.

“But it is all great experience – he was rubbing shoulders with the best of the best.”

In order to attend these international events and continue his push towards GB selection, Matthew relies on sponsors’ donations. If you would like to get involved, email kickstaekwondouk@gmail.com or visit www.kickstaekwondo.co.uk for more information.