HAVING returned to the sport of taekwondo after a seven year absence Daniel Vinten has his sights set on European gold.

The 24-year-old, from north Swindon, was introduced to the sport as a child by his mum alongside his brother and soon rose up the ranks.

Having started at Swindon School of Taekwondo, based at the Link Centre, Vinten went on to represent England, training at the Bisham Abbey National Sports Centre in Buckinghamshire, and competed at the World Championships in Bulgaria back in 2006.

However, Vinten found himself growing out of love with the sport and following a family bereavement, he took a break from competition.

He has since made a return to taekwondo and announced his comeback with a gold medal at the GTI Nationals in Cheltenham at the end of last month.

“It is basically a comeback after seven years out,” said Vinten.

“I took a break because of other commitments really. I grew out of it and there was a family bereavement so I took a step away but now I am back and hungry for it again.

“I think it was my mum who got me into the sport. She took me and my brother along and we just started to get naturally quite good with very little training really.

“Later on, we started to go to competitions and we were bagging gold medals quite regularly before we were noticed by the England head coach and he took us under his wing.

“The team was based up at Bisham Abbey and it was a very good set up down there and it was very professional.

“You’d have the likes of Matthew Pinsent and the England football squads training there as well, so to be amongst that professional set up was great.”

Now training with Swindon Taekwondo, based at the Haydon Centre, with Ian and Zoey Fendt, Vinten is preparing for the British Open on June 27.

As well as aims of competing for England again the 25-year-old is keen to work with children and teach them the skills he has learnt over the years.

“I am now aiming for international at least, with an end goal of being a medallist at European and possibly world level,” he added.

“The European Championships in 2017, in Liverpool, are my aim and to pass on my knowledge to children and hopefully see them winning medals.

“I want to help younger children to get to where I got to.

“What better feeling would there be than to see a young child as a gold medallist?

“I really love the sport, from training to watching people and it is like I live it and breathe it.

“It is not just a hobby, it is a way of life.”