Luca crowned world champion at Thailand kickboxing festival

Luca Allison was victorious at the Asian-Pacific Championships in Bangkok earlier this month.

The competition was organised by the World Kickboxing Association (WKA) as part of the wider fourth International & Thai Martial Arts Games and Festival.

The 16-year-old was part of the Scotland team that travelled halfway around the globe to take part in the 4th annual event.

Having made his way to the final, the Clacks teen was crowned world champion in Glory Kickboxing after a rousing display in the ring.

Luca defeated Roman Nekrassov of Kazakhstan to claim the gold, before earning second place in the K1 Kickboxing category.

Luca described attending the games as a "dream come true", and has been hailed as a role model for other young athletes looking to advance in sport.

After the games, he went back to school to share his success with classmates, teachers and "proud" headteacher Colin Bruce.

And while taking part in extensive training leading up to the event, which included a lot of travelling and competing, the 16-year-old still managed to balance sport with his studies and has been preparing for his National 5 SQA exams.

With a gold and silver to his name, the teenager has now set his sights on more honours in the future.

Luca said: "I have always been a very active person and found martial arts a great way to exercise and compete.

"I am fully committed to continuing my studies and I am also looking forward to my next fight on June 1 in Wishaw.

"I am working hard to ensure I keep up my momentum both in my kickboxing and in my learning."

Headteacher Mr Bruce added: "I am really proud of Luca. He is a really nice, grounded young man.

"To manage balancing his studies along with showing the dedication it required to be a top athlete is outstanding.

"Our school values are respect, resilience and ambition. Luca is a great role model for all of these values and I am sure he will go from strength to strength in his future challenges."