Karate kid praises university

Sports Coaching student Paul Lineham has secured three medals at an international karate tournament while studying for his master’s degree.

Black belt Paul, who hopes to become a lecturer in the subject, won two gold medals in the team events and the overall bronze medal in the senior men category in the International Karate Union Championships which were held in Portugal. 

Paul has also represented the University in the Karate Sport England national championships and brought home a silver and bronze medal in the team events and a bronze medal in the individual senior heavyweight category.

Originally from Leeds, Paul chose to study at Northumbria because of its reputation in sports education and praised the support he has received from the University.

“I heard so many good things about the course and once I applied for my undergrad and completed my degree, I wanted to stay on to further my education,” he said. “I would not think of doing it at any other university as the staff, the course and place are amazing. Newcastle is a bubbling city and the University has fantastic facilities.

“It’s been a whirlwind year – I’ve been competing, working full-time, studying and teaching. At the moment I am doing my master’s part-time and it can be really hard to train as I am sometimes limited due to working and university commitments so I need to work around things. It may mean early morning training down in Washington, training on an evening in Newburn with my training partner and coach or training at the university club or doing fitness work in the gym, but my studies help me a lot.

“As I am doing a sports coaching degree I have been able try new types of training that have helped me and the pupils I teach. If anyone is aspiring to be a coach or has interest in sport, Northumbria is the place to be. It has amazing lecturers, world class facilities and world class learning.”

For more information about sports degrees at Northumbria click here.