ALTHOUGH just having celebrated his seventh birthday in January, Jakob Bartush is already achieving great things in karate.

Jakob, who trains at the Vale Karate dojo at Barry Leisure Centre, earned his biggest win to date by taking the gold medal in the six-year-old novice category as part of the Karate Wales squad, at the WUKF European Championships for all ages, in Malta in October, where he also won the Kumite silver medal.

At the Karate Wales Youth Open on Sunday, he was unstoppable.

Entering in three events he won the gold medal in the 5-7 Years Kata, the Gold in the 7 & 8 Years Jukuren, and finally the gold medal in the 6-8 Years Boys Kumite, the sparring event which was his first Kumite gold medal, finally finding a way to win against the inevitably bigger boys he always faces.

The finale to the Welsh Karate League takes place next month and Jakob is already guaranteed the Welsh Karate League Champion of Champions trophy in Kata with one competition to go, also in pole position to win the Champions trophy in the newly established Jukuren event.

The new season begins again in April, with Jakob having his third season in the Under 8s.