Alasdair, 14, a junior black belt (1st Poom) from Callander Taekwondo Club, was in the coastal town of Melaka in Malaysia for more than three weeks preparing for the competition which involved around 600 competitors. He was the only junior representative from either Scotland or England.

At times, his training regime was gruelling, particularly when he had to get up at 4.00am and do a strength and flexibility exercise programme on a hill in the centre of Melaka. Alasdair said: “Performing axe, turning, and reverse kicks up the hill builds up power while doing skip kicks running down the hill builds speed. It was really very tiring but even though I only did it a few times it definitely improved my strength and speed which helped me in the competition.”

At other times, Alasdair joined the local Melaka club members at their training sessions taking part in a regular black-belt class, a demonstration class and a sparring class.