Kirkcaldy karate kid Ben Millar kicks out to capture Commonwealth championship crown
Kirkcaldy martial arts marvel and Shojiki Karate Club member Ben Millar convincingly defeated four different opponents as he roared to gold medal glory when representing JKS Scotland at last weekend’s Commonwealth Karate Championships.
Millar, 9, a Shojiki member for three-and-a-half years who is a pupil at Kirkcaldy’s Strathallan Primary School, prevailed in the series of 90-second contests last Saturday at Glasgow’s Emirates Arena in the seven to nine years kumite over-30kg category, beating opposition from India (2-0), England (8-0), Scotland (3-1) and Scotland (4-1). The scoring system saw one point awarded for a punch to the face or body, two points for a kick to the body and three points for a kick to the head.
His delighted Shojiki head coach Ben Woods, 22, told the Fife Free Press: “Ben has been improving a lot lately so I kind of felt like his efforts were going to pay off.
"He had previously been working very hard in training and maybe not quite getting the results but I could see a result like this coming.
"I’d say Ben is very hard working, energetic and dedicated. He doesn't just train with me, he trains at the JKS Scotland headquarters in Dunfermline which is the club I came from which is a pretty high level club. He’s doing a lot of karate and is very focused.
"I think he has a lot of potential and his future in karate is very bright.
"To be only nine and get a result like that was incredible. He is now going to be training more in Kirkcaldy and also more in Dunfermline with a higher level of athlete so I think he’s only going to improve.
"He’s enjoying doing all these new competitions and getting all this experience and exposure.
"His next event will be at the JKS Glasgow tournament in Motherwell’s Ravenscraig Regional Sports Facility on November 22. I think he’s got a very good chance of more success.”
Shojiki, which was founded in 2023 and initially ran sessions at Kirkcaldy’s Linktown Church, now has a total of 15 classes covering Kirkcaldy, Dysart, Buckhaven, Burntisland, Cardenden, Kinross and Milnathort.
Head coach Woods, a full-time karate instructor across Fife and Kinross, teaches a total of 280 students five or six days a week.
The 4th Dan black belt, who started karate when he was four, was the first Scottish athlete to be rated world number one in the World Karate Federation, in 2019, winning Scottish and British titles and bronze medals in big foreign tournaments.
He retired from competing in 2024 due after dislocating his shoulder numerous times and undergoing two surgeries which were unsuccessful.
Woods added: “I kind of missed competing at first but I wouldn’t change how its all worked out to be honest.”