PORTLAND Kyokushin Karate Club now boasts having a national champion among its ranks, as young practitioner Elijah Read claimed victory in the 8-9-year-old non-contact division of the Australian Kyokushin Karate Association (AKKA) national championships on the weekend.

Read needed to win three consecutive fights to get the job done, and while he was victorious in all three, the first one proved to be the biggest challenge.