I took up karate after I was bullied - now I'm world champion

A student who took up karate after being bullied at school has won gold for England at the Karate World Championships.

Paulina "Lina" Makazlieva, 19, from Kidderminster, Worcestershire, claimed three medals at the International Combat Organisation tournament in France, including gold in the kumite sparring competition.

The University of Worcester law student said she first turned to the sport six years ago after experiencing bullying during her school years and wanting to learn self-defence.

"I started it because I was having a few tough times in high school, as everyone does at some point," she said.

"Normally I'd never talk about it, but I know there's people out there that are also going through the same thing," Makazlieva added.

"It's only right if I talk about it and share my story too."

Makazlieva said she initially took up karate as a hobby, but quickly became passionate about the sport and began competing four years ago.

Alongside her studies, she is completing legal training at a Kidderminster solicitors' firm while also spending up to five days a week training or working out in the gym.

That hard work paid off at the world championships, where she found herself facing defeat in the gold-medal match.

"Inside I wanted to quit; I felt really scared," she admitted.

"But then I just went back to the words that my dad used to say, which is, 'If you're going to start something, do it to the end.'

"And my coach used to say if you're going to lose, don't lose by fear; lose by actually doing the match. So that gave me motivation."

Her task became even harder when she fell 4-0 behind in a contest where the first competitor to score five points would be crowned champion.

"I was losing 4-0, and then I got hurt, and I couldn't even get back up, but I just had to because I was thinking about everybody and my hard work," Makazlieva said.

"My coach was telling me to calm down. So I tried to listen to him, and then I talked to my team-mate for 10 seconds, and they gave me tips.

"I started to get a point or two and started to learn and observe her. I won 5-4 and it felt like it was literally straight out of a movie."

She also won a gold and silver medal in kata, a discipline where competitors are judged on a sequence of techniques and movements.

"I wanted to come home with at least one medal, but this exceeded my expectations," she said.

Makazlieva credits much of her determination to her late father, who died three years ago.

"I think he would have been very proud of his daughter because he's always raised me to be a fighter and to have the soul of a fighter and be independent," she said.

A brown belt, Makazlieva hopes to pursue a career in civil and corporate law while continuing to compete internationally.

She also hopes karate will be included at the 2032 Olympic Games, allowing her to realise a long-held ambition.

"I've worked hard for this opportunity and wanted to make sure that I did well and took advantage of it," she said.

"I just knew that it was from all my hard work and all the training that I put in, and I just felt very proud."

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