FIVE MINUTES WITH ... Millie Jenkins

MILLIE Jenkins started taekwondo at the age of seven and has been doing it around 12 years. Millie, now 19, trains with Rotherham’s NEST Taekwondo club and recently won gold at the WKC World Championships in Ireland. She is also studying physical education and school sports at Sheffield Hallam University.

FIRST SPORTING MEMORY

I did loads of sports when I was younger. My main one was swimming and I always used to watch the Olympics and Rebecca Adlington.

BEST THING ABOUT TAEKWONDO

All my family do it. We enjoy it and have a shared interest. Taekwondo is such a good thing to do from a social aspect and a fitness aspect.

WORST THING ABOUT

TAEKWONDO

It can sometimes be quite stressful, such as before I went out to the World Championships this year. I had pressure because I wanted to try and do well.

TAEKWONDO HIGHLIGHT

Winning the World Championships in Ireland. I went there with the expectation of going for the experience rather than coming out with anything. The main thing that surprised me was that, when I was practising for the last year, myself and the instructor would watch a certain competitor and copy how she did things and add that to how I do it. I got to compete against her, which was surreal to me to think that we were copying her because she is the best of the best.

SPORTSMAN OR WOMAN YOU MUST ADMIRE

Jade Jones, who does taekwondo for Great Britain. She’s a two-time Olympic gold medallist and a former world champion.

FAVOURITE OTHER SPORT

Swimming and netball. I did both when I was younger

TELL US SOMETHING ABOUT YOURSELF WE DON’T KNOW

I’ve met Brian May, the guitarist from Queen, quite a few times. I used to go to an AstroFest in London every year with my nan and he is into that kind of thing. He used to be there and he knew my nan.

SUPERSTITIONS

I wouldn’t say I’m superstitious but I always drink loads of water before I compete. I also sort out my belt etcetera and once I’ve done that then I’m in the zone and ready to go.

BEST COUNTRY VISITED

When I went to Ireland for the Worlds it was the first time I’d been “abroad”. I’d never been on a plane or anything so it was quite a good experience and the place, Killarney, near Cork, was really nice.

TV CHOICE

I watched I’m A Celebrity, probably as most people do.

MUSIC CHOICE

It changes all the time. I’m going through an indie kind of phase at the moment – bands like Arctic Monkeys and The Wombats, that kind of thing.

GUILTY PLEASURE

I re-watch the same TV shows, mostly sit-coms. On Netflix there’s quite a few funny shows you can watch again and again. I’ve seen Benidorm plenty of times.

AMBITIONS

Hopefully go to the Worlds next year in Orlando. I’m at uni as well and working so I’m trying to balance everything at the minute. I would like to become a PE teacher or something similar.