A TEENAGE Dunfermline karate kid is setting his sights on becoming an Olympian after finishing third in the world.

Woodmill High pupil Ben Woods was among 2,500 youngsters who travelled to Croatia for the WKF (World Karate Federation) Karate 1 Youth Cup and returned home with a bronze medal.

A total of 70 countries, including Scotland, were represented at the event, which is the largest and most prestigious karate competition for juniors in the world.

JKS (Japan Karate Shoto Federation) Scotland, which is based in Elgin Industrial Estate, is the largest Shotokan karate federation in the country, consisting of 94 clubs and a membership of more than 5,000 students.

They selected just eight youngsters – although two ultimately didn’t travel – to compete in the event and 13-year-old Ben was one of them after a range of success at domestic and international level, including victory in May’s British Karate Federation Four Nations Championship.

The event took place from June 26 to July 2 and Ben finished third in the kumite male under-14 -55kg competition.

Paul Giannandrea, of JKS Scotland, said: “This is the biggest event for juniors in the world and medalling there is an amazing experience. We picked eight, although it was six that went with us, from a squad of 60-70; it is very selective and we take people who have had success domestically and internationally. It’s a recognition of having the skill to compete at that level.

“Ben won at the British Championships in May and the Swedish Open in March. The British is the biggest event in the domestic calendar.

“They attended a week’s training camp before and the competition was over three days. It was hot; there was no air conditioning in the hall, and very compact and humid. There were four weight categories in each division but Ben still had to fight six times to get a medal.

“He started brilliantly and his first two fights were incredible. He did very well and is super delighted – he’s still talking about it!”

Paul added: “He came to us about 10 years ago and started in our tiger club and has been competing for the last four years. In the last two, he’s moved into the top two in his age category in the country, and I’ve coached him since day one so can see how much he has developed and how hard he trains.

“With karate now being one of the newest Olympic sports, this is something to aim for. Gaining this place will put him on the radar for possible Olympic team trials with the British Karate Federation team in the future, and I know that this is his priority. There’s more at stake for these kids at 13-14. Seeing him compete sometimes leaves me gobsmacked. He knows what an achievement like this means.”