A talented 10-year-old judoka who has already made his mark on the international stage is calling on the local community to help him pursue a dream of one day representing Great Britain at the Olympic Games.
Albie Jahovic, who trains at The Judo Company in Stockbridge, has been practising judo since the age of four and now dedicates much of his week to developing his skills on the mat.
Training three to four times a week and spending many weekends travelling across England to compete, the youngster has already demonstrated the commitment required to take his sport seriously.
Now, as the standard of competition increases and opportunities to compete and train overseas begin to open up, Albie and his family have launched a GoFundMe appeal to help meet the growing costs of his development.
For Albie, there is one ultimate ambition behind all those hours on the mat – pulling on a Great Britain judogi at an Olympic Games.
“My biggest dream in life is to one day represent Great Britain at the Olympic Games,” Albie said.
“I know that’s a REALLY BIG dream, and I know that there is a LOT of hard work ahead of me, but I am more determined than ever.”
It is a dream which has already taken the 10-year-old beyond the UK.
In June, Albie travelled to the Netherlands to compete at the 51st International Judo Tournament Venray, where he produced an outstanding performance to claim a silver medal.
Facing a field of 21 competitors in his category, Albie fought his way through five contests against Dutch and Belgian opposition to reach the final.
Several of his victories came by ippon – the highest score in judo – before he faced a German opponent in the gold medal contest.
The final remained deadlocked at the end of normal time and went into golden score, where Albie was eventually edged out by a single yuko.
Despite narrowly missing gold, returning home with an international silver medal represented another significant step in the youngster’s development and provided a glimpse of what could be possible in the years ahead.
Albie was coached throughout the competition by his father, Jack Jahovic, while the trip was made possible with support from former Olympic judoka Ashley McKenzie and Ryan Saunders of Deprag.
Albie said he feels fortunate to have parents, family members and coaches behind him, as well as people who have competed at the highest level of the sport and believe in his potential.
However, pursuing judo at an increasingly high level brings a challenge which cannot be overcome through training alone.
Competition entry fees, travel, accommodation and specialist training camps can quickly become expensive, particularly when opportunities involve travelling overseas.
As Albie progresses, his family say more opportunities are becoming available for him to compete at larger tournaments and attend elite training camps where he can learn alongside talented judoka from the UK and abroad.
Those opportunities could prove important to his development, but the family do not want finances to determine how far he is able to go.
Albie said: “My family do everything they can to support me, but I don’t want the cost of these opportunities to be the thing that limits how far I can go.”
The family has therefore launched a fundraising campaign to help cover the costs associated with competitions, travel, accommodation and training.
Every donation will be used to give Albie further opportunities to compete, train and test himself as he continues progressing through the sport.
His Olympic ambition remains many years away and there will inevitably be countless hours of training and competition before such a goal can become a reality.
But at just 10 years old, Albie has already demonstrated the determination to pursue it – and has an international medal to show for his efforts so far.
For now, the focus remains on the next training session, the next competition and the next opportunity to improve.
“I hope that one day, with your help, I’ll be stepping onto the Olympic mat with GBR on my back,” Albie said.
“Until then, I’ll keep working hard, learning and dreaming!
“Thank you so much for supporting me and being part of my journey.”
Those wishing to support Albie’s fundraising campaign can donate through his GoFundMe page: Big Talent, An Olympic Dream – Help Albie Reach the Top.