A SCHOOLBOY from Darlington has his sights set on the 2020 Olympics after being picked for the Team GB Development Team.

Taekwondo maestro Stephen Johnson, 15, has already represented his country at the Commonwealth Games, winning a bronze medal in Edinburgh in November, and is now part of the Team GB training programme for promising young athletes.

Stephen, a GCSE student at St Aidan’s Academy in Darlington, trains three to four times a week at the Eastbourne Institute Hall and in Spennymoor, and his Team GB membership means that he also has to train in Manchester up to four times a month.

Mum Jackie said she was proud of her son’s achievements to date, and is backing him to go all the way to the Olympics.

She said: “I am pleased for him because he tries so hard and gives it 100 per cent.

“Every time he goes (training) he listens and does as he is told.

“It is nice to know that around this area there has been some success because you don’t really hear about it much.”

Mrs Johnson has two jobs – as a care worker and school minibus driver – and her husband also works full time as an engineer, but the costs of Stephen’s training and competing are presenting a challenge.

The family are seeking a sponsor for Stephen and Mrs Johnson explained: “Everything we have done so far we have done ourselves, but it would be a shame if Stephen doesn’t go as far as he could because of a lack of money.

“It would be nice if we could get a bit of help from a sponsor.”

Anybody interested in sponsoring Stephen can contact Mrs Johnson on 07830979969.