18/06/2025
THROWBACK INTERVIEW PIECE FOR TEAMGB 😁
It got printed in the metro I believe
Your age: 41
Where are you from?
a little village called Ynyshir, located in the Rhondda South Wales
What do you do for a living?
Im a butcher supplying various restaurants and hotels throughout South Wales, Im also the director of Musclean Meats. a online meat company providing quality meat for many athletes.
What age were you when you got into karate and how did that come about?
I had my 1st lesson when I was 8 years old. it was during the mid 80's so Karate at that time was one of the 1st sports outside of football or rugby for children to try. I had a few breaks from training over the years due to playing rugby but I have been teaching and training now for well over 20 years. My 1st club was upstairs in a local miners hall, I can remember the large old hard cold floor to this day ! nowadays im teaching 3 nights a week with the Welsh Shotokan Karate Organisation and either competing or teaching most weekends!
What is it that you love about martial arts as a means of keeping fit and healthy?
I love the gym but for me there is no other way to get fit than in the dojo, it is such a positive environment to be a part of ! I know that I am biased towards Karate but its the same ethos in any dojo in any martial art. Your a part of a team with individual goals that can differ from person to person. an 8 year old child may need to channel to energy alongside an adult wanting to improve fitness. Karate gives you so much more than just an avenues of fitness , mental health is also a major benefit of martial arts, sometimes there's nothing better than after a tiring day than to get your gi on and train !
What has been your greatest achievement in sport and how did it make you feel?
I have written then deleted this answer about 7 times so far! over the years there has been so many instances but its got to be seeing my students develop from shy young children into mature international fighters representing Wales. I feel a big sense of responsibility towards my competitors as its simply not fair that we expect our fighters to perform against far more developed countries that do not face the same barriers as we do, yet we still manage to hold our own and on many occasions get onto that podium !
What kind of event will you be hosting for The Nation's Biggest Sports Day and why are you doing it?
I am holding a drop in drop out Karate Kumite session in the Rhondda Sports Centre, Ystrad. I mentioned this numerous times amongst my counterparts in Scotland and England that Wales is a hotbed of talent waiting to explode onto the world scene, I can also include other martial arts in this !
Why are community events like this so important?
the community has an insight of what is open to them. there is so many opportunities available to people of all ages at the moment yet still almost weekly i see posts over social media asking what sports clubs are out there in the area
Why do you think more people need to be active – how can people in the community help?
unfortunately both obesity and mental health has been a topic of conversation recently and the answer lies in getting yourself active. the biggest struggle will be to make the commitment to get to the dojo, the gym or any sports club but once you have stepped onto the tatami or pitch or whatever suits yourself i can promise you, you will never look back! Grass roots coaches are so important in this development.
Why is it important to get young people into sport?
Foremost it installs a sense of pride, a discipline to set a goal for themselves this then stays with them throughout their adult life. Secondly every olympian that made the TeamGB squad started somewhere and it wasnt at the top ! to keep TeamGB churning out the olympians we must keep the young people interested and attract the next superstar !
Thanks you for this opportunity
Gerwyn Harries
