TAEKWON-DO talent Jasmine Pidgley has been forced to exercise her business brain as well as her martial arts patterns in a bid for a world championship gold medal.

Jasmine, 16, is aiming to represent England when the Inter-national Taekwon-do Federation (ITF) hosts the world championships in Canada in August.

The Ferndown Upper School sixth-former, though, a second Dan black belt, has been forced to raise the money to fund her trip across the Atlantic, with financial support only available to athletes competing directly within the ITF.

Jasmine, who trains at Integrity Martial Arts Club in Poole, told the Echo: “Our final qualifier is in Scotland and that will determine who is going to Canada. There are four of us from my club who have accumulated enough points to go, so fingers-crossed, after Scotland, we should all be going to Canada.

“The Canada trip has been priced at between £2,000 and £2,500 each, but we have to pay for it ourselves as the finances aren’t there to pay for Integrity competitors’ trips.”

Jasmine has already broken the back of her fundraising drive, with a talent show organised by the teenager on Sunday raising around £450 towards her Canadian adventure.

A taekwon-do addict from the age of five, Jasmine will be attempting to gain her third Dan black belt in May. If she succeeds, she is likely to be one of only two under-18 girls boasting that honour at the world championships.

Jasmine, who finished second in the junior female third degree patterns category at the recent British championships, added: “People don’t believe that I am a second Dan black belt as it is because I am so small! I am going for my third Dan in May, so if I go to the worlds, I will be competing as a third Dan.

“I got attached to taekwon-do really early on in my life and the thing I love most is the friends you make from the sport – we are all really close.

“It is an Olympic sport, but Games taekwon-do is run by the World Taekwon-do Federation and is very different in terms of the techniques used and the amount of contact between competitors.

“I’d love to come back with a gold medal from Canada but I also teach children taekwon-do and I would love to come back with something to tell them. They look at me with my black belt and they want to get to that level as well. It would be great for them if I could do well.”

Any businesses interested in sponsoring or donating towards Jasmine’s quest for the world championships should contact the Echo via email: sport@bournemouthecho.co.uk.