A karate kid kicked up a storm in Chronicle Country after becoming one of the youngest black belts in the country.


Rhys Whittington, nine, from St Neots, trains with the Aktikarate club in Biggleswade and was awarded the black belt after passing a rigorous grading session on Wednesday, December 9 at Everton Village Hall.


Frank Nezhadpournia, chief-instructor of the karate club, said: "I am very pleased with Rhys and he fully deserves it.


"He has shown a great deal of enthusiasm, commitment and maturity to get to where he is.


"During the grading he broke down at one point, but he simply took a breather, came back and started again.


"And that is what the spirit of martial arts is all about and Rhys is a great example."


As part of the grading he had to teach a class of 25 students as well as endure a 45 minute exam.


Mr Nezhadpournia, a fifth dan black belt, added: "It is so rare for someone so young to achieve a black belt.


"It requires a lot of maturity and commitment and I think Rhys is one of the very few in the country who has reached this level."


The youngster began training at the tender age of four and received a lot of support from his parents who are also martial arts enthusiasts.
Karina Whittington, Rhys' mother, said: "I have always liked martial arts and was a big fan of Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris and all those guys.


"It's probably our fault that he got into martial arts because dad and I have been doing it for about 14 years.
"We are really pleased for Rhys because he has always trained hard and we know how much commitment it requires."


To read the full story, see the December 18 edition of the Biggleswade Chronicle.