A PRIMARY school pupil from Emersons Green is celebrating winning her second national martial arts title.
Heila Stearman won her first UK GKR Karate championship in the Kumite (fighting) discipline at under-9 level in 2023.
Now aged 10, the Year 6 pupil at Mangotsfield C of E Primary School had to move up into the under-12 age group, facing girls who were older and more experienced in the UK championships in Sheffield on November 30.
However, Heila took the tougher competition in her stride, winning the under 12 girls’ title for competitors with a brown belt 3rd Kyu and above.
She also got to meet Go-Kan-Ryu founder and world master Kancho Robert Sullivan at the event, after he travelled from Australia to attend.
Heila took up the sport at the age of seven, and Darryl says has thrived on the concentration and self-discipline required.
She trains at the GKR Karate Dojo on Mondays and Fridays, in Emersons Green and Filton, and also practices at home for several hours each week, perfecting her moves.
Heila’s triumph at under-9 level in 2023 won her the chance to compete at the sport’s world championships in Sydney the following August.
Dad Darryl said she had to miss out due to family commitments but she is aiming to compete at the world championships when they return to the UK in 2026.
Darryl said: “She is now the first ever GKR Karate National female under-16 champion to defend and retain a national title in fighting.
“Next year she will compete in the same under 12 age group, but will have one more year’s experience and be one year older, setting her up well for the world champs in 2026.”