A TEENAGER who suffers from a rare bone condition has won silver at the European karate championships.

Ryan Spencer, from Ouston near Chester-le-Street, was part of a four-man team representing England at the championships in Greece.

The 19-year-old, who studies sports coaching at Sunderland University, came fifth in the individual contest and took silver in the team event, finishing a narrow second to gold medal-winners Russia.

His achievement is all the more remarkable, as he has been living with a rare bone condition Hereditary Multiple Exostoses (HME) for almost 11 years, which sees lumps growing on his bones and affects just one in every 50,000 people.

The former Lord Lawson of Beamish pupil said: “We fought very well against Russia, who are tough opponents to beat, and it went to an extra fight to determine who the winner would be.

“I personally felt it went really well, winning the silver is such a huge achievement, especially given the number of teams who were competing from across Europe".

He now hopes to compete in the World Championships in Italy next year.

Ryan, who hopes to become a PE teacher after university, said: “The bone condition bothers me sometimes, but I have got the mindset to forget about it because I want to be the best that I can be.

“I want to be able to show young people that although they may have a disability they can do sport and achieve despite their limitations.”

Ryan has had to undergo four painful operations since he was first diagnosed at the age of eight.

His proud mother Christine said: “Ryan just gets on with things and he’s keen on showing other members of the group that sport can be accessible for everyone, no matter what issues you may have.”