The Teenager Who Quit the Mean Streets for His Dream of Glory at the Olympics

Mail on Sunday › March 16, 2008

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Summary

WHEN teenager Darius Knight enters the arena at the Royal Albert Hall tomorrow, he will be hailed as one of the rising stars of British sport. Yet few of the 4,000-strong audience and countless television viewers will have any idea of the 18-year-old's extraordinary escape from the crime and poverty of a drug-ridden south London council estate.

As one of Britain's best table tennis players, Knight, who is taking part in the Dunlop Masters tournament, hopes to qualify for this year's Olympics in Beijing and win gold at the London Games in 2012.

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Extract

The Teenager Who Quit the Mean Streets for His Dream of Glory at the Olympics

But as he admits with alarming candour: 'If it wasn't for table tennis, I might not be here now. I might be dead. I've seen what's happened to my friends and I know I'm lucky. I don't want sympathy and I know I have to be strong for myself. Table tennis has gi...

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