Darius Knight,19, is a Table Tennis Star, Role Model and Ambassador for UK Sport.
He already plays for Great Britain on the ITTF World Pro Tour, as well as playing in the Spanish Superleague. He is the three times national under-21 champion and is the figurehead for the Fred Perry Urban Cup which promotes Table Tennis in inner cities.
It all began in a Battersea youth club, when an 11-year old Darius wandered in off the street and picked up a table tennis bat. Who knows where he’d be today if he hadn’t have become fascinated by the speed of the ball? Before that, he spent his time hanging around with his gang mates on the streets and stairwells of his council estate.
Darius reached international standard when he was 14. Since then, he’s been in the top 10 in the English senior rankings, where he is ranked second today. He became national under-21 champion at just 16 and, in his last year at junior level, won the under-18s junior title. Thanks to his achievements, Darius has a huge fanbase from fellow youngsters who want to follow in his footsteps.
His Television Appearances include the ongoing BBC TV’s Olympic Dreams Documentary, the Paul O’Grady Show (Twice!), and Transworld Sport.
Knight is sponsored by Sport and Cult Fashion Brand Fred Perry, and the two have established a key relationship, both raising the profile of the sport and helping to cultivate sport for underprivileged children. He is also part of the Visa Team of Olympic Hopefuls for 2012.
Hailed as “Table Tennis’s Lewis Hamilton” and known for his background as the ‘Underdog’ who overcame drugs and crime 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.
“Of the gang of 15 that I used to hang out with, only three of us have done something positive with our lives. I was lucky because table tennis offered me a way out. If we could get more sporting opportunities for kids in places like that, it would give others a way out, too.”
August 3rd, 2009 at 7:23 PM
I love stories like this. It would be nice to see more kids following in Darius’s footsteps.
February 1st, 2010 at 1:32 PM
Fantastic!!!!
Well done Darius.
Would you be able to come and do a talk and run a session at my school? We have a number of students who love the sport and as an inner city school they would relate to you and your life. It would be an honour.
I am going to use your story as part of my GCSE lesson on role models.