MARTIAL artist Tate Budge topped off a great week, after being nominated for the Devon Sports Awards, by being crowned overall UK Inter-national Taekwon-do Fede-ration under 18s third degree black belt patterns champion at the UK ITF finals in Swindon on Saturday.

The UK ITF finals are a yearly event where the top two ranked competitors from both the autumn and spring nationals go head to head to become overall UK champion. This is the fifth overall UK title Tate has won.

Tate also picked up a silver medal as part of a boys patterns team and a gold in the boys sparring team - winning all his fights and securing gold medals for the team in the final.

His father David Budge said: ‘Tate continues to train but is taking a step back from the competitive side of his Taekwon-do for a while as he concentrates on his next goal of joining the RAF.

‘It’s been an amazing journey over the last 14 years and a journey that has seen Tate promoted to third degree black belt, win 18 national titles, five overall UK titles and two world titles.

‘None of this would have been possible without such a committed group of instructors through-out his journey and we would like to thank each and every one of them for the support, belief and time they have given Tate.

‘There are too many to name but they know who they are and how important they have been.

‘It goes without saying as a family we could not be prouder.’