KARATE KID Ousama Tadjerout was awarded his cadet black belt after coming through a gruelling two-hour examination of his skills.
The 15-year-old took a year out of the sport recently, as he recovered from an operation, but he has come back with a bang, putting in the hours in training and he has been handsomely rewarded for his efforts.
Ousama first had to sit a half-hour written exam before being put through a rigorous 90-minute physical test, in which the judges assessed his techniques in various throwing and sparring exercises.
His mentor, Bill McLeod, who trains a number of local students out of his McLeod School of Martial Arts, was proud of his protege.
He said: “Ousama has shown a lot of grit and determination to achieve this. It would have been very easy for him to quit but he stood the test of time.”
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