A COUNTY Durham teenager has returned from a memorable trip to the Far East as a world champion.

Just three years after taking up Thai Boxing, Spennymoor’s Charlie Simpson has followed up his international call-up by delivering on the big stage to claim gold on a memorable trip to Malaysia.

Charlie formed part of the United Kingdom’s ten-strong junior team that competed at the International Federation of Muaythai Amateur World Championships this month and it could not have gone any better for him.

He said: "I am really proud to have qualified for Malaysia. It was a great experience and I got to see some of the best fighters in the world. I am really proud and pleased to have won a gold medal for my country."

The 15-year-old was one of six gold medallists from a group which also secured four silvers over the course of the ten-day trip to Langkawi and his success story came as no surprise to his coach back in the North-East, Mike Ellison.

“Charlie is phenomenal, he really is,” said Mike. “Charlie has won four belts in his three years in Thai Boxing and now he has a gold medal to go with it. It’s a brilliant achievement.

“When he came to us at the start he was low on confidence and he has come on leaps and bounds since then. He really has. It’s not just his talent, he has the right character, determination and desire to do well. He really deserves it.”

Charlie joined Mike’s WoIf Thai Boxing in 2011 and has developed in to the club’s first junior world champion since it was created eight years ago.

He has worked his way on to the international stage with his success at regional and national level. He successfully defended his Junior UKMF North-East crown earlier this year by defeating Auckland’s Ben Goalsborough.

Such performances earned him the right to head for the nationwide Super League and, after winning his age 15-17 category under 71kg, he was invited down to Altrinchman for training with the UK squad and selectors Tricia McKeary and Lisa Howarth called him up for the Malaysian adventure.

His fellow Spennymoor fighter, Kristian Atkinson, 16, was also included in the initial squad but he was unable to make the trip because of his schooling. He will instead focus on the European Games in September in Poland.

Charlie’s trip to Malaysia was not funded through UK Thai, so his club and family helped to raise £1,200 to enable him to fight at the World Championships - and ultimately earn gold.

“He will be going for an English title next and then from there we will see,” said Mike. “But we don’t want to push him too quickly either, we want to look after him because he is only a young lad. There is a chance he will soon have a big sponsor because of his progress and once that happens he will be then coming up against bigger and better boxers all the time.

“We just have to make sure he does not head in to too much too soon. He is a phenomenal talent and it’s great to see him doing so well.

“A lot of work has gone in to helping him develop from the other coach at our gym. John Rutter did most of the work with Charlie and he has also gone to Craig Jose’s gym in Newcastle, Northern Kings. Hopefully he will continue to progress.”