Physiotherapist lifts martial arts world title

A physiotherapist said it has been "surreal" winning a martial arts world championship.

Becky Sheppard, a senior physiotherapist at Peterborough City Hospital, won the women's Tang Soo Do black belt world champion title in Chicago, USA, last month.

Sheppard started the sport - a Korean martial art based on karate that featured in the 1980s' cult film Karate Kid - as an energetic six-year-old when her family signed her up to try to tire her out.

Having trained and competed with a serious ankle injury, the 28-year-old from Whittlesey said: "Having gained the title - I am now taking some time to rest, and thanks to my physiotherapy colleagues who have been looking after me."

Sheppard said the ongoing injury involved torn ligaments and previous fractures.

She was now waiting for surgery to repair it and has been having treatment due to the risk of her ankle dislocating again.

Sheppard said it had been a "blur" lifting the trophy.

"It was nerve-wracking waiting for my name to be announced as grand champion, as you never know if you've done enough to achieve it," she said.

"Relief is the best way to describe it, like all the hard work has paid off.

"Having taken some time out as a teenager, I returned to the sport... [and] gained my black belt in 2017 and started competing more seriously."

She has won several titles in the sport, including women's European champion in 2023 and 2025.

Sheppard trains four times a week ahead of a competition with a Tang Soo Do Team GB coach in Huntingdon.

"Doing Tang Soo Do alongside full-time work hasn't always been easy, it can be difficult to keep turning up after a long day," she said.

"But competition is a big part of what keeps me motivated, as well as the opportunity to see friends and clear my mind.

"I hope to pick the sport up again when I am fully recovered."

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