TEENAGE taekwondo sensation Lauren Williams has described her senior world championship debut later this month as a “massive opportunity”.

The two-time world junior champion from Blackwood is getting ready for the biggest competition of her life in Muju, South Korea.

And Williams, who was too young to be considered for selection when Russia hosted the last worlds in 2015, has every intention of showing her ability on the global stage.

Pre-event training in Manchester alongside the 13 other Great Britain squad members has been gruelling but Williams is more than willing to push her body to its limits.

“It’s my first senior world championships and it feels like an Olympics to me,” said the 18-year-old.

“At this point in my career it’s the biggest competition I have had the chance of taking part in, and it’s a massive opportunity.

“For me, it’s primarily about putting myself under pressure on the world stage.

“The best athletes in the world will be there and I’m hoping to perform to the best of my ability.

“If I was to win a medal it would be amazing.”

She added: “I’ve been putting my body under pressure in training, it has been the hardest it could have been.

“I’ve had a really good block of training over the last three weeks and now it’s starting to taper off as we get closer to the championships.

“We have got a really strong squad and everyone is looking sharp and feeling confident.”

On top of her two world junior titles, Williams was also crowned European champion in 2016 and has won a number of top events on the taekwondo circuit in recent years.

And although this month’s event will be a first for her, going out to South Korea won’t be something new.

“I’ve been to South Korea a few times, for training camps mainly,” she said.

“I went there before the junior worlds and competed in the Korea Open.

“The atmosphere over there is always amazing and I enjoyed the training, it was really intense and the best preparation I could have had at the time.

“It was a great experience and definitely a bonus.”

Williams, who goes for glory in the women’s -67kg category, will be joined in the Far East by fellow Welsh star and double Olympic champion Jade Jones.

The WTF World Taekwondo Championships take place from June 24-30.