Blaby: Mum and daughter to compete at world karate championships

'We've been training eight years for this dream' A mother and daughter are preparing to compete together at an international karate competition in Japan for the first time.

Bianca and Cyra Webb have been training at Kazokudai dojo in Blaby for several years in the hope of one day making it to the Japan Karate Association (JKA) World Championships.

The pair were selected to compete for England in 2020 before the competition was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

But their dream will finally be realised when they fly to this year's event later this month.

Bianca Webb, 42, is chief instructor at the dojo, which she set up in 2021.

Her 17-year-old daughter is assistant instructor there as well as providing karate lessons for children in the community.

Cyra will compete in the cadet girls category of the event in Takasaki on 25 October, while Bianca will take part in the veterans competition the following day.

They hope their involvement will inspire more young girls to take up the sport.

"Going with my daughter has been a dream come true," Ms Webb told the BBC.

"It's going to be my last international and it's going to be her first big international.

"Because we are under-represented in this sport, to be able to inspire the younger girls coming through, is absolutely incredible.

Ms Webb said she often gets feedback from mums, who say Cyra is like a hero to the children she teaches.

"Cyra is a huge, huge inspiration. Not just to the young girls but to myself as well," she said.

The pair will fly out to Japan on Friday and spend some time in the country before the competition kicks off.