A 13-YEAR-OLD boy from Dursley has won a Tae Kwondo gold medal in the South West black belt championships held in Weston-Super-Mare.

Kyle McMillan, a blackbelt and Year 9 pupil at Rednock School achieved the gold after four furious rounds of fighting on Sunday, February 5.

He trains with Temple TKD at Dursley Church of England Primary School two nights each week and has a further weekly training session with six-time World Title winner Jane Lambert.

Kyle said: “It was extremely hard, I had to compete in four rounds and two of those were in extended time.

“Tae Kwondo has given me so much confidence and has taught me defensive skills, it also keeps me fit.”

Kyle started his training four years ago and has since stepped in to help his coach Ben Temple with training sessions.

Each round of the competition is a continuous minute and a half with each competitor trying to score as many points above the belt, the final round lasts for two minutes.

This style of Tae Kwondo differs to the Olympic style in which competitors battle until they score a point and then stop.

Ben, chief instructor of Temple TKD, holds training sessions in Dursley, Thornbury and Bristol.

He said: “Kyle picked everything up really quickly, it’s all down to the amount of passion, drive and effort he has put in.

“We’ve worked with him to improve his speed and movement, put him up against people who are taller or have faster hands to boost his abilities.

“Next we’ll be aiming for some of the national competitions with an ultimate aim of the World Championships in 2018.

“Kids these days are less and less active so it’s great to see kids like Kyle getting involved, and he is now himself a role model for the other people in his group.”

Ben has a class of 30 in Dursley, 13 of which are taking part in competitions.

Kyle’s mum Kim said: “As a mother, I am very proud of Kyle and his determination as this isn't just a sport, it helps him with life skills and still continues to build his confidence. “It has been such an achievement to win the gold for himself and his club.”

For full details on how to get involved click here.