A KARATE black belt is making a martial art out of his sport after securing gold at the European championships.
Northallerton College student Jack Pullen romped to an easy victory in the World Shotokan Karate Union championships.
The 14-year-old, of Northallerton, won emphatically, 4-1, 5-0, 5-0, to take gold in the cadet category of the contest held in Tirana, Albania.
He is now hoping to be selected for the WSKU England squad and the World Karate Federation All Styles team.
“I took up karate about seven years ago and it just became my thing,” said Jack, a member of Byakko, a club in Ripon, which boasts one of the England coaches.
“When I have a contest I practice five nights a week but normally it is two to three nights. I was nervous as there was a big crowd but my preparation paid off in the European championships as it was quite an easy win.
“The Japanese are the best in the world at karate and I would love to fight over there in the future.”
Jack has been a black belt for the past three years and hopes one day to join the Royal Marines.
Head of sport Anna Harvey said: “Jack thoroughly deserves this success as he is totally committed to karate and a great role model in school.
“He has the skills and mind-set to go a long way in the sport and I think this gold will be the first of many to come.”
