THE UK’s youngest black belt has been continually helping to put Barnsley on the map as he overcomes persistent roadblocks to follow his sporting passions.
Mayon Jayawickrama made headlines last year when his dreams of representing England on the world stage were dashed due to a government error that saw him registered as an asylum seeker, despite being born in the UK.
Due to the mix-up - which his parents, who are from Sri Lanka, had been trying to sort out for nearly a decade by this point - Mayon wasn’t able to get a passport, blocking him from flying to Portugal to compete alongside fellow karate experts in the European Shotokan Karate-Do Association (ESKA).
Despite the ongoing issues, the 14-year-old from Royston - who became the youngest black belt in the country at the age of seven - never lost his passion for sport, and continued to fight for a place to the very end.
Thankfully, at the 11th hour, Mayon’s citizenship was granted and he jetted off at the last minute, bagging himself a bronze medal in the youth individual kata category only hours after arriving.
His mother, Nilupuli Samarasinghe - who is a black belt herself - told the Chronicle: “It was like a miracle for us.
“When he got the passport he had his event the day after - he had to travel straight away that night, so it is a miracle to us.
“I’m so proud of him - it’s not just this championship, there were so many championships through the year he needed to compete in just to get a place.”
Plans are already set for this year, with Mayon heading off to Liverpool at the beginning of the year to start a new selection process as he sets his sights on the world championships.
Mayon’s determination in the face of continual issues that were completely out of his hands made him an ideal candidate to start off the Young Sporting Achievement category at this year’s Young Champions award.
“I feel very happy and I’m always so proud of Mayon,” Nilupuli added.
“If he can do something for this country, for this community and for this town then that’s amazing.”
