When Year 9, Bunbury Catholic College student Olivia Morgan is not studying or hanging out with friends, she’s delving deeper into the world of Karate.
Three years ago, Morgan was talked into taking up the martial art by a friend.
Since then, the athlete has honed her skills at the Traditional Shotokan Karate-do Federation of Australia dojo in Harvey.
“It was very confusing at first because Karate is very technical,” she said.
“I like it because it’s about being able to protect yourself and making lots of new friends that have similar interests.”
Morgan moved from one belt to the next, before earning a Shodan black-belt in March.
“I was very nervous, and it was fun. We had a black-belt master teaching and grading us,” she said.
Describing Karate as being about “respect”, Morgan seeks to learn from her Sensei and peers.
Morgan has gone on to compete and win medals in State Championship, National Championship, and Australasian Championship events.
Although nervous at first, Morgan has relished every chance to represent her dojo and Western Australia.
“It was very nerve-wracking but it was fun because you learn a lot of things,” she said.
“You meet new people and you get tips as well, it’s great for learning.”
The martial artist is looking forward to the next State and National Championship titles.
“I would just like to continue having fun with my sport and to always try my best,” she said.
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