By Bridget Brady
A CRANBOURNE karate kid is kicking his way to the top.
Vincent Damaso, 12, has topped off a successful year in the martial arts world by being crowned a national champion- winning two gold medals and one bronze at the Australian Karate Federation National Championships in Sydney earlier this month.
Vincent, a Year 7 student at Cranbourne Secondary College, took out his gold medals in the sparring and team kata events.
The gold medals will be added to the full trophy cabinet, alongside a host of other achievements this year that include gold medals at the Victorian State Championships, Australian Open and the Melbourne International Open. Vincent is also a member of the Karate Victoria state team.
Despite his string of success this year, Vincent said he was surprised to win his gold medals in Sydney.
“I was shocked and excited,” he said.
Vincent has been learning karate for more than two years and trains at Kimekai Karate in Cranbourne, but said karate was difficult at times because it required a lot of patience.
“It’s really hard because you need to put a lot of effort into it.”
Vincent now has his sights set on the world championships.