Taekwondo teen from Wall Heath earns black belt aged just 13
Years of hard work have paid off for a talented young martial artist who has earned his black belt at the age of 13.
Sonny Anderson rose through the ranks after taking up taekwondo aged five.
And now the keen rugby player has reached the highest level of black belt – which his instructor has hailed as a 'great achievement'.
Sonny, of Wall Heath, is a member of the Heart of England Martial Arts group that meets at Blakenhall Community and Healthy Living Centre in Bromley Street.
His instructor Chris Woolcock, who won world championship gold for sparring in 2004, said: "He has done really well. We work towards high standards here and have a strict structure, which I think has helped him get so far.
"He has got very far for his age. I was 16 when I got my black belt. He balances taekwondo with rugby and other sports and he is very active.
"He also works very hard at school and he is getting good grades there. He has been persistent."
Sonny, a pupil at Summerhill School in Kingswinford, is 'very determined to succeed', his mother Kate said.
She added: "I'm really proud of him. He has stuck at it and he fully understands what he has got round his waist."
Meetings are held every Tuesday from 7-8pm and the group offers lessons of all grades.
Heart of England Martial Arts - which has groups in Nottingham, Derby, Leicester and Burton-on-Trent - practices the 'chang hon' style of taekwondo.
Email beacontkd@gmail.com or call 07986 502212 to get in touch with the Bromley Street group.
