An Oldham boy was crowned a roller skating dance champion over the weekend at the GB Skate Artistic Dance Championships 2021.

Zac Anderson, 13, became the Espoir Men Solo Dance champion at the event in Essex over Halloween weekend, with his mum, Donna, coming second in her category.

Zac said he was "very thankful to be crowned" and he was "so happy for his mum".

The championship involved nearly 20 categories, with Zac taking home the title for boys over 13. The competitors had to carry out a figures dance, testing accuracy with dancers given a routine by the judges, and a free dance, where they could show their flair with tricks.

Zac included a lot of spins in his free routine, saying: "I got very dizzy."

He said he has been skating since he has been walking, competing in events since the age of four-years-old and even auditioning for Britain's Got Talent when he was five.

The Oldham Times: Zac on the podium with his trophy.Zac on the podium with his trophy.

The pandemic had a major impact on roller skate dancing, with training centres being mostly closed for over a year. Zac, who normally trains five times a week, went six months without being able to train, something he described as "very hard".

Zac has been skating almost his whole life and has no intentions of slowing down.

He said: "I'll try my best to defend my title."

Apart from continuing to compete in events, including his next one in three weeks time, Zac is interested in coaching others, which he is now able to do having recently been given his Level 1 coaching badge.

Despite being so young, Zac is already accomplished and experienced and wants to put his talent and efforts to good use.

He said: "I like helping people that are new to it."

The sky is the limit for Zac as he has already achieved so much and still has such a long way to go.

The Oldham Times: Zac has been competing since the age of four.Zac has been competing since the age of four.