A Croydon schoolboy could make an appearance at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

Yousef Benzian-Regrag has been selected for the Great Britain Olympic team and is currently training in Taekwondo with the goal of competing in the 2028 Olympics.

Currently in Year 13 at Harris Invictus Academy Croydon, Yousef says competing in the Olympics is his “ultimate dream”, but achieving it will require immense dedication, hard work, and perseverance.

The 18-year-old told Your Local Guardian: “At the moment, I’m training for the next Olympic Cycle and training for the LA 2028 Olympics.

“I’m in the GB world-class program with world-class athletes in the Olympic team.”

If Yousef qualifies, he will be competing in the Minus 58kg category.

While already being in the GB team is a significant achievement, qualifying for the Olympics itself is something else altogether.

Yousef explained: “You’ve got four years to train, and there’s this ranking point in which you need to get as many ranking points as you can.

“And then if you don’t qualify for ranking points, you can qualify through a competition, called the Olympic Qualifiers.

“So, it’s literally just training to be able to qualify and hopefully being able to compete in the 2028 Olympics.”

Yousef and others who hope to qualify are required to train from Monday to Friday, with two or three sessions a day.

As well as training every day, Yousef has to balance his A-Level work, and he described the combination of both as “physically and mentally draining”.

He added: “It’s a mental drive, so if you believe you can do it, you can definitely do it.

“So, I go train in the morning, then come back in the afternoon, and have to just work my way through.”

Much of the material Yousef needs for his exams requires independent learning because it's difficult to balance his training and studies simultaneously.

Yousef said he has wanted to compete in the Olympics since he was very young, adding: “I’ve wanted to do it since I knew what it was.

“I used to play an Olympic game on the Wii when I was eight, and I started Taekwondo when I was around four.”

Yousef is also a two-time national winning champion.

In 2019 and 2021, Yousef won the British Taekwondo National Championships, a prestigious event that showcases the top talent in the country.

Being a national champion means excelling in a competition against the best fighters in the nation.

This title is awarded to those who demonstrate superior technical skills, sparring ability, and overall performance.

Yousef admitted that during his GCSE year, he found the entire experience draining and almost felt he couldn’t do it anymore.

But thanks to mentors and friends, he remained motivated and praised his dad and London Taekwondo team coach Master Richard Allen for their unwavering support.

Yousef encourages those who share his aspirations to never give up.

He advises anyone aiming to reach his level of success to "train hard, believe in yourself, and remember that the sky's the limit."

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