THESE days it is hard to become a pioneer in sport but a Bromley woman has struck out as the first British female martial arts fighter to appear at the World Championships.

Gemma Salter, 22, competed as part of the Great Britain team in the 8th World Martial Arts Championships, held in Vietnam, and finished eighth in the under-60 kilos kickboxing section.

It means Gemma is ranked eighth in the world but she is looking to go even higher.

She said: "The whole situation is a bit overwhelming but it has always been my dream to compete on the world stage and to make it this early in my career is an incredible achievement.

"The championships have given me much more drive and I really want to make my training more intense so I can hopefully come out on top next time.

"Being a pioneer makes it all worthwhile and it was an added bonus to come away with something, if not a medal, under my belt. I feel really proud."

Kickboxing involves punching, kicking and throwing and in the field of 13 competitors in Vietnam Gemma was up against a Ukrainian woman in the first stage.

Gemma won the first round of the tie which pleased her immensely.

She said: "The Ukrainian woman looked and punched like a man. I knew I couldn't outclass her with punches so I had to change tactics and went for throwing which is something I am not used to doing.

"I was pleased because it means I have developed a new skill."

The Ukrainian came back strongly to win the second round and although Gemma was pleased her stamina meant she fought back in the final round, it was not to be and she was eliminated.

However, the victory in the first round was enough to place her eighth overall.

Gemma, who works in the financial department at Bromley Council, trains in the Li Family Kung Fu style at St Barnabas Church Hall, Beckenham, with Tony Swanson he of worldwide martial arts fame.

She said: "I could not have done it without Tony and I owe a lot of thanks to him."

But Gemma is modest as she puts in a terrific amount of hours in the gym. To hone her technical ability and increase her strength she trains four times a week, as well as riding roughly 30 miles in a round trip from Grove Park to work and taking part in weekend-long fitness fighting courses.

The intense training schedule is nothing new to Gemma as she first took up the sport 15 years ago at the tender age of seven.

She said: "When I was younger I was quite a tom-boy and I took up karate which I really enjoyed. I worked up to a brown belt before moving onto kickboxing where I reached blue sash level.

"I started competing in national events in 2003 and after winning a title in September that year I was picked to represent England in the four-nations tournament in November and I won a silver medal."

In all Gemma has won 12 gold medals and five silver medals in varying disciplines leading to the call up for the trip to Vietnam.

She said: "After acclimatizing in Malaysia we moved on to Vietnam where it was absolutely manic and a completely different lifestyle.

"Before I went there I was not keen on the food but we stayed in a five star hotel and were treated very well. We were only there for a couple of days before the tournament began so it was quite fast-paced throughout.

"The whole experience of being in the sports arena and seeing all the other countries was phenomenal and out of this world."

After a relaxing Christmas Gemma is back in training for a national tournament in March.