TAEKWONDO ace and Olympic hopeful Libys McGuinness has secured a £500 sponsorship deal with Tilleys Motorcycles in Weymouth.

Business owners Dick Holton Roger Cattle both said the reason they agreed to help the Weymouth College student was because the youngster had stuck to her ambition for 10 years, working hard at both her studies and her sport with equal success.

Commenting on the 16-year-old, they said: “She is a credit to her generation. We hope the £500 we have given Libys will help with her training and travel costs to compete at a higher standard.”

McGuinness has been training at Weymouth & Dorchester Taekwondo Club under the guidance of master Rob McDonald since the age of five.

During this time she has competed at several levels and won two gold medals at events in Dorset and Wales. She has also claimed two silvers and a bronze at national events.

The teenager has progressed through 10 levels of training to become a black belt in Olympic-style taekwondo and has now caught the eye of national coaches, who have encouraged her to join seminars and train with the current British team.

McGuinness has also been given the green light to compete in international competitions, the latest being the Irish Open in Dublin, held in September, where she gained two bronze medals.

To raise the money to compete, McGuinness has been working weekends and holidays at the Sea Chef in King Street, Weymouth, and they have also aided her with sponsorship.

The former Wey Valley School pupil has her sights set on joining the GB talent pathway for kyorugi training to go on to the 2020 Olympic Games, where she hopes to represent her country in the heavyweight category.

If anyone else would like to help the youngster in her quest, please contact sport@dorsetecho.co.uk