Tae Kwon Do World Champion 2000 Michael Brolly, from Ashfield Court, has made his friends and family very proud by bringing home no fewer than four bronze medals from the European Championships held in Cagliari, Sardinia.

The 47-year-old started training in Greystones with Robert Wheatley at the age of 18 and is now an accomplished fourth-dan black belt in the martial art and still as enthusiastic about Tae Kwon Do as he was 30 years ago.

There was no Tae Kwon Do in Wicklow before the club in Greystones,' remarked Michael, who is committed to training six days a week, for at least a couple of hours every day.

I enjoyed it from the word go, and I still love it,' he remarked, adding that he still has to keep a very high standard of fitness. When you're fighting teenagers and 20-year-olds you have to keep the level of fitness high!' said Michael.

Married to Joan for 21 years, the couple have two daughters - Danielle, 13 and Lauren, 10. He said that the girls have an interest in martial arts but that he would never force them in to it.

When he met Joan at Cabanas in Greystones in the 80s, the two had a shared interest in martial arts and hit it off straight away.

Now with a gym in his garden, Michael also trains at Focus Martial Arts in Stillorgan and on Friday nights in James Whelan's Bray club.

A native of Greystones, Michael was educated at the Christian Brothers followed by the Tech, before becoming a painter and decorator, a business he has built up over two decades.

His triumph in Sardinia included winning medals in sparring, patterns, power breaking and special technique - for which he did an eight-foot jump over head.

There were four representative from his club there, including Darragh Bolton, Tom Thornton and Cathal Hardiman. Darragh also brought home a bronze medal.

No matter where you go to do a tournament everyone gets to know everybody,' said Michael, adding that the people in Sardinia were very courteous and the competition very well organised.

He remarked that Tae Kwon Do comes with a highly-developed sense of discipline and he has never had to use his skills to defend himself. You get an awareness to see things before they happen,' he said. The sport does discipline you. Younger and older people mix and learn to respect each other,' he said, adding that it's never too late for anyone to start.

You work at the pace which suits your ability,' he said, remarking that he had seen many older people start and feel the benefits very quickly.

An operation last year almost spelt the end of Tae Kwon Do for Michael, who was told he wouldn't be able to train any more. But after some time off, the determined man recovered quickly and is now back to his gruelling schedule.

I think it's for everyone, but that young girls in particular should be taught to defend themselves,' said Michael, who added that teachers from his club do go around the schools teaching important self-defence skills to the pupils.

Balancing work, a family and Tae Kwon Do can be tough at times, he said, but you have to grin and bear it,' adding that the next move for him is trying to get to Florida this year for the World Championship in kick boxing then the ITF World Championship in Canada in 2010.

The sport really helped Michael cope through major personal tragedies two years ago when both his parents, Daniel and Jean, passed away within a week of one another. Fitness and health helps get you through the hard times,' he said.

Having a healthy mind and body is important. You also learn to detach yourself when you're training.

There's real sportsmanship in the martial arts,' said Michael, adding his congratulations to East Coast on their recent medals. It's great to see. There's no rivalry - everyone helps each other out.'

He remarked that a number of people had helped him out along the path of his career in the sport, including Stephen White under whom he used to train and Master Dalton from ITF Ireland who brought him over to Sardinia with his squad.