UK Martial Arts Champion Is Only Eleven Years Old

According to UK based news-source the Huncknall Dispatch, there's a new Karate Champion in town, and he's barely in middle-school. Joel Barker Klein, 11, has just recently taken two medals while competing at the Ozawa World Championships in Las Vegas during the Easter weekend.

Joel took up Karate lessons at the ripe old age of 5 and has since reached the level of black belt first dan. He won't be allowed to test for his second dan until he is 14. This hasn't slowed him down any though, as he has managed to take 3 national gold titles in total. In his age bracket, Joel has managed to take top standing for two years in a row in kumite in both the Japanese Karate Shotokan and the Federation of Shotokan Karate.

While in Las Vegas this year, Joel managed a silver medal in the three-person team event and a bronze in the individual kumite event. He was one of 64 competitors. For full details of the story (as well as a pic of Joel), check out the Dispatch article.