Meet Gosport's world champion karate kid - who's just 11 years old

Two weeks ago, Gosport youngster Lilly Griffiths travelled to Slovakia for the WUKF World Karate Championships, representing England on the world stage.

There, the 11-year-old showed the world what Gosport’s finest has to offer, bringing home a silver medal for her female u15 kata category.

With a whole host of moves under her brown belt, this is one youngster you don’t want to mess with.

Lilly said: ‘In the competition you do two katas on the mat – the judges score each performance and add your totals together.

‘Before I got out there I was really nervous and was pacing up and down, but I thought it had gone quite well when I finished my two routines.’

After completing her routines, there was a long wait before the results were officially announced by the judges.

Lilly’s silver medal, she says, was a real surprise – but was followed by a rush of elation from her family and friends.

‘When the called my name to say I had come second I couldn’t believe it,’ she said.

‘I was really happy thought, then I got to go up on the podium and everything. My family was there to cheer for me and I called my friend Evie as soon as I could – then when I came into school everyone clapped for me.

‘To think that I’m now a world champion is a really funny feeling.’

When she's not studying at Gomer Junior School, Lilly trains five times a week at a club in Stubbington.

With almost a dozen medals already at home, Lilly is determined to reach even further heights in the coming years, with dreams of Olympic glory.

She said: ‘I’ve always wanted to be in the Olympics so I would quite like to do that one day.’

Lilly’s headteacher, Georgina Mulhall, said: ‘We’re all incredibly proud of Lilly’s achievements – she has shown dedication and resilience, and will go on to achieve great things.

‘We look forward to seeing what she wins next.’

Macey-Rose Peak, 13 and also from Gosport, won silver in the Kumite Shobu Sanbon Female Mini Cadets.