The Year Two pupil received recognition for “Most Karate Kata Movements on Nails by a Child in 10 Minutes”. Notably, the idea of showcasing karate on spiked shoes came from the lad himself, as he wanted to stand out from other practitioners.

His father, K Vasantha, 41, said his only child trained for a year to master the movements using specially made spiked shoes.

“My son is very active. He began learning karate at the age of three and has already achieved many victories in junior karate championships both locally and abroad,” he said after receiving the certificate of recognition from MBR official Siti Hajar Johor here.

The school van driver said his son, who now holds a blue belt, is working on adding five more movements in karate to qualify for the black belt.

In July, Vasanth made his mark in the Yoga Asia World Records by achieving the longest single-leg standing in the children’s category.

The single father said his son also clinched the karate kata title at an international sports championship in Kuala Lumpur last year, and received the 2024 Best Non-Games Sports Achievement Award from the Negeri Sembilan government.

“I want to raise my son to be independent and disciplined. Karate is not just a sport but also a shield for self-defence, especially since Vasanth experienced bullying before.

“Martial arts gave him the confidence to stand up for himself,” Vasantha said.

Meanwhile, Vasanth shared that he aspires to become a national athlete and represent Malaysia on the world stage.

“I’m proud to have created a name in MBR, and I hope one day I will be selected to represent the country and make my family and Malaysia proud,” he said.