Published: 19 September, 2013
by KIERNAN CURTIN

KARATE prodigy Luan Veras is a nine-year-old who would give Bruce Lee a run for his money!

The youngster powered to victory at the British International Karate Championships in Glasgow recently, finishing top of the individual junior rankings with a tearaway three gold and two silver medals.

Not to be outdone, his brother Liam, 8, won silver in the boys’ kata, a challenging event where judges mark form and detailed choreographed patterns of movement.

The brothers then joined forces to strike gold in the seven-to-nine years team fight category and silver in their team kata competition.

The youngest competitor from the Veras family, six-year-old Luca, also hit the heights as he scooped a silver medal in the boys’ seven-year-old fight category.

The medals kept coming with Charlie Hussey, 15, winning a gold in the learning disability kata.

Senior members Shaida Khaliq and Nicole Hussey both picked up bronze medals in their respective categories, while Andrew McLarney, 16, also did well as he made his debut on the international scene.

Anyone interested in joining the Veras Academy, which regularly holds classes in Camden and Islington, should visit www.verasacademy.co.uk