A student from Slough has set his sites on becoming a jiu-jitsu world champion.

Abdullah Taran, 45, is the reigning jiu-jitsu European champion having achieved a black belt and the British champion title five times.

He’s now aiming to improve on the bronze medal he won at the world championship in the United States last year.

In 2023 Abdullah travelled 22 times for competitions, visiting France, Italy, Portugal, Lithuania and the United States among other countries.

Supported by his wife Dr Nasim Malik and son Hussain, age three, he spends more than £10,000 a year on travel, hotels and competition fees that can reach £200 per event. 

Abdullah is in his second year studying for a bachelor’s in business administration at the Slough campus of Oxford Business College.

Abdullah said: “It’s not easy studying business while fighting in tournaments around the world, but that’s not going to stop me.

“My goal is to be world champion, but there’s a lot of work to be done before I can call myself that."

Abdullah hopes to use his business education to provide free martial arts classes for children aged five to 15.

He added: “I’ve got so much I want to pass on to the generation of fighters, and my dream is to offer children free martial classes so they can enjoy this incredible sport.”

Oxford Business College said they will be cheering him on every step of the way.