Paisley karate kid Adam Hamill fought his way to yet another top title after striking Commonwealth Championships gold in Birmingham.
And now the talented 17-year-old, who has trained at Renfrew-based club Shitokai Scotland for the last 10 years, is targeting repeating the feat at the upcoming WKF World Championships in Turkey.
Hamill battled to the Commonwealth title after beating unfamiliar foes from across the world, seeing off South Africa’s Links Robin in the -55kg junior final.
That impressive win has seen him picked again by Team Scotland, this time to compete in the same category at the Junior World Championships in Konya, Turkey next month.
Proud father Mark revealed his son was over the moon to get back on the podium after a tough spell trying to train and compete during the pandemic.
He told Renfrewshire Live Sport: “Adam was absolutely buzzing. Generally at international competitions you come up against the same opponents.
“With it being the Commonwealth you had fighters from India, Australia, New Zealand and Africa.
“Adam was up against some boys he’d never even seen before, let alone fought, so he dealt with that well.
“He was competing against a lot of different styles in a strong category. He was extremely happy to get the gold.
“There’s been massive disruption in karate because of Covid-19. There’s been a real reluctance to hold large indoor sporting events, it’s only just this year things have been back to normal.
“It’s been very difficult for Adam because he’s been so used to competing regularly and training all the time. He’s had to train on his own a lot and be very disciplined.
“This is his reward for putting in all those hard hours. I’m delighted for him.”
The St Andrew’s Academy pupil is heading to Poland this weekend for a tournament that will help prepare him mentally and physically for the Worlds.
Ahead of moving into the Under-21 and senior ranks when he turns 18, Mark is hoping Adam’s Commonwealth experience will help him get back on the podium on the sport’s biggest stage.
Mark said: “The European Championships in June was the first major tournament since coronavirus. He got to the quarters in that and was so close to getting a medal.
“A lot of the people he beat at the Commonwealth Games will be at the Worlds, so he’s proved he’s good enough to beat them. Hopefully he can pick up another big result before he moves into the senior ranks.”
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