A talented young Rainham sportsman is making a thrust for the big time after qualifying to represent Britain at fencing.

Fifteen-year-old Kamal Minott, of Hawthorn Avenue, is currently placed fourth in the country’s under-17 men’s foil rankings and leaves for his first international cadet tournament in Halle this week.

But the dedicated youngster already has his eyes fixed on a bigger challenge – he hopes to make it all the way to Rio in 2016.

Kamal’s mum Lorraine Faisal said she believed her son could go the distance.

“He’s still extremely passionate about it – he loves it,” she told the Recorder. “He can get into the Olympics – the potential is there.”

Kamal’s success is a pleasant surprise to Lorraine, who said her son had initially been on the fence about sport.

“We went through football and a bit of rugby and he got fed up of those,” she explained. “At primary school a fencing teacher came in and he got a bit bored – but when I said to him he had to do some form of sport he said: ‘Can I go back to fencing?’

“From there he’s just gone from strength to strength.”

Proud mum Lorraine said Kamal’s potential had been evident as soon as he began taking fencing seriously.

“He won the Eastern Region Fencing tournaments for three years running, then got selected for the British Fencing tournament for under 15s twice in consecutive years,” she explained.

“He’s beaten 20-year-olds to justify the place he’s got now.”

Indeed, Kamal was the youngest person chosen to represent Britain as an under-17 – he was just 14 when he was selected.

And the ambitious Coopers’ Company and Coborn pupil has two further tournaments lined up – one in Cabries, France, next month, and one in Bratislava in January.

“Twenty-year-olds and 25-year-olds wouldn’t be able to get to the place he currently is,” said Lorraine, 43. “It’s a real massive achievement.”