Liverpool karate kid Waddah Saleh, 13, has returned from the JKSA (Japanese Karate Shotokan Association) New York International Championships crowned ‘a hero’.

He outperformed all previous expectations, had the best result in the whole competition and returned to the UK with three gold medals and one silver.

Throughout the event, Waddah impressed the judges at the competition which was hosted in Manhattan College, New York. He described the experience as “The best thing that’s ever happened in my life”.