D'office Threads October 2014 | Page 60

Background Darius Knight is a professional Table Tennis star, role model and a Sky Living for Sport mentor. He plays for England on the ITTF World Pro Tour circuit and during his career he has played in the French, Spanish,Belgian and German leagues and has just signed a new contract to play in Sweden. Darius has been playing above his age since reaching international standard when he was 12. At the age of 14, he had his debut playing for the England Men’s Senior team at the 6 Nawww.dariusknight.com tions. Since then, Darius has been in the top five in the English Senior Rankings, peaking at number two when he was 18. At 15 he was European Youth Champion in the under 15 age group, and in under 18s he won numerous titles such as Team and Doubles, medalling in silver in both categories. At just 16, Darius became Youth Olympic Champion in Sydney, 2006, with his team mate Paul Drinkhall in the doubles, and won a silver in the team. He then became National Under 21 Champion and won it three years in a row and, at 18, he won the Under 18 Junior Title. In his senior career he has won Mixed Doubles and Men’s Doubles and now seeks the Men’s Singles title to complete the set. He has won the British Men’s title twice. Darius was selected to be a part of the Olympic Team GB for London 2012, as well as being selected as a torch bearer. He was also a silver medalist in the Commonwealth Games 2010 in New Delhi and is now hoping to be in the 2016 Olympics in Brazil. Hailed as the Table Tennis’ “Lewis Hamilton” and known for his background as the ‘underdog’ who overcame a tough upbringing to become a Table Tennis star, Darius has amassed a huge following of fans and supporters who share in his vision to pursue their dreams and to never give up. He has had a strong impact on urban youth culture both as a role model and a celebrity, known for giving insightful and detailed interviews and always speaking the truth. Darius continues to work with programmes such as The Premier League for Sport, SKY Living for Sport, the Ping Pong Care Campaign and Ambition Charity to encourage people to play and raise awareness of the sport for all ages and backgrounds. - 60 -