Gina Bene-Hamill: Pudsey's 17-year-old taekwondo champion, 2032 Brisbane Olympics aim & Nile Wilson influence

In the latest of our Big Interview features, Lee Sobot catches up with Pudsey taekwondo starlet Gina Bene-Hamill - already a senior national champion at just 17 years of age and a young lady eyeing the 2032 Brisbane Olympic Games. Gina is also a finalist at next Thursday evening’s Leeds Sports Awards.

Gina, we've not had many if any taekwondo features in the YEP, how did it all start for you?

"Me and my sister Isabella both started together when I was five and when she was eight. It was a really random way to start. We were both in the park playing, I think we were on the slide or something. We went down the slide and then some boy came up to us with like a stick or something and we both ran off because we were only young. We didn't know what to do or anything. But after when we'd gone and told my dad he was like, ‘right, you need to be able to like protect yourself, you can't just be running off.’ He was like you need to start something so he just searched for any sort of local martial arts because he had done kick boxing when he was younger. Taekwondo was the closest one and I think he'd seen it was in the Olympics and stuff. I thought it's something different. It's also learning about self defence but it's also like respecting discipline so he liked the idea of the overall thing."

Wow, that's a brilliant story, so how old were you when you started and when did you know you were really good at it?

"I was five when I started. I had loads of different sports that I was doing when I was younger, at the time I was doing dancing, gymnastics, swimming, taekwondo and football. I'd chosen to do dancing so I stopped but I just went back by myself when I was seven because I couldn't stop just walking round the house like kicking my dad. So where I am now and where I have been since I was seven is at Apex Taekwondo (formerly Horizon Taekwondo). That's in Bradford and I've been training there since I was seven for four times a week. I won my first nationals in the children’s category in 2018, that was like my first gold at nationals. When I got that I was like 'I want to do better at this' and then when I was 11 as a cadet I got into the GB team for that. It was just gradually doing more.”

You're 17 now - so what's been the highlight so far at this early stage of your sporting career?

"I've represented Great Britain and I've been selected three times to go with them, I've been to the Cadet Worlds in Bulgaria, Cadet Euros in Malta and then I went to the under 21s Europeans in Kosovo in December. But also in October I became six times National Champion, and because of my age, I could fight twice. So I fought in junior and senior category. Some people try it just to do both categories but I think this year there was just me and one other boy that got gold in both."

What are your next aims then Gina in terms of the short term?

"This year I'd love to be selected for the under-21s - I think it's worlds this year. So under 21s worlds and under 21s euros to go as the -53kg fighter for the females with GB. That would be the goal for this year."

And ultimately then - all about the Olympics right?

"It would be amazing to go to the Olympics. You've just got to work your way up. Because I'm younger in the team, there are some girls that are similar weight to me but in a higher up age so it's I've got to be able to prove myself against them ones that are in like the world-class team. it's a case of doing well at the abroad competitions to build up my points. I wouldn't be able to get to the Olympics for 2028 but for 2032 - that would be the aim. There's only four people that can go to the Olympics for taekwondo from Team GB so it's whoever has the most ranking points. But the 2032 Olympics would be the aim. I've just got to train as hard as I can and not be put off by injuries and stuff. At the minute I can't train because I have been out injured with concussion but I've just got to get back to it. Try doing all my rehab for it to be able to fight again because I've had a lot of things including major hamstring injuries. I had one just two weeks before the worlds so they didn't think I was even going to be able to fight there. But I won the first fight, and then I got to my second round of that. It's having that mindset to just keep going."

And presumably all of this comes alongside school and things so tell us about that and your plans on that front?

"I'm at St Mary's Menston in Year 13 and I was doing sport and business. I choose them two specifically because it's mainly classwork so it meant that I've been able to travel and go to competitions. My teachers are really good with me going and travelling away. The way I've done my courses, I did my exams in year 12 and it's come at a right time really because I've got my concussion so I'm struggling to concentrate or anything and I would have to be revising like I did with my GCSEs because I had a really bad concussion when it was my GCSEs. I was out for 11 months and I was trying to revise for all my exams for that and I couldn't concentrate for longer than 20 minutes. I managed to do them but it took a lot for to do them."

So what will you do next then?

"I turn 18 in August and I can get on to the GB taekwondo part time team but I've got to be able to train and because I've been injured it has been harder for me to do. Then from the part-time team you can look at going full-time once you're 18 but you have to be 18 to be able to go full-time. It's just seeing what I can do. In the meantime, while I'm not sure, I'm planning on going to uni at Liverpool John Moores but doing sport business books so you are competing in competitions there as well. But I would love to get on the full-time GB taekwondo team, that's the aim. That would be amazing."

And what about Leeds then - tell us a bit about your upbringing here?

"I was born in Leeds and I've lived in Pudsey my whole life, always been in the one house. I went to St Joseph's in Pudsey and then St Mary's Menston and doing sixth form there as well."

What does it mean to you to be flying the flag for Leeds then too? Following someone like Nicola Adams?

"Leeds is very close and I think it's great also to be doing a different sport. There's been a lot of swimmers and divers and it feels special to be a girl doing something different and standing out. I really feel the support of my city. Even in Pudsey, lots of people know what I am doing with taekwondo and it's great for it to be recognised with something like the Leeds Sports Awards. Not every city has a sports awards but having that every year is a special reminder of how well you are doing. It brings everyone together."

Have you looked up to anyone from this city growing up and thinking that could be me?

"I think Nile Wilson. I know he's gymnastics but he's also from Pudsey and his mum used to be my hairdresser. He'd be coming in when I was getting my haircut and stuff. He's trained so hard and it's paid off. It was so cool because I was in the hairdressers and it was only a few months later that he was coming in to see his mum. For him, it's just normal that he's there but for me it's like ‘wow an Olympic medallist in my hairdressers’. It's just seeing that it's possible. It's just needing the training and being focused and having the right mentality to be able to do it.”

And is there anyone you look up to from taekwondo?

"We've been good at taekwondo in the Olympics and I think the first Olympic medallist was Sarah Stevenson. She's done training sessions for me and has been at my club doing specialised sessions. Then there's Lauren Williams, she got silver I think it was 2020 and she has always been a big inspiration and also Jade Jones.

Speaking of being ‘inspired’, your dad Shane said there was an interesting taekwondo story about how you got your dog?

"Yes! Whenever there are competitions me and my dad always make deals. Like ‘if I get a gold at this one you owe me this’, like an extra oomph to it. When I was competing at the Children’s Europeans when I was younger I had never done anything like it. Our friends from taekwondo had just had a dog litter and I was like I really want one. My dad said ‘if you medal I'll get you a French bull dog’. It was like ‘I've got to do it, I need to do it’. So I did! There was another nationals where he said a month before if you win I'll get you this phone. He said I'm that confident that you'll win it that I've already put it on hold! I was like I need to win it now! Me and my dad always go to competitions together, I don't let my mum or my sister go. It's always me and my dad, everywhere we go so we always do a handshake and that's the deal."

So what's he going to get you if you get an Olympic gold then?!

"We haven't talked about that one yet! I think the Olympic medal in itself is the winning thing!"

And what would you say now to the boys who chased after you with the stick?

"I'd just laugh! Almost like a thank you to them!"