Bronze Medalist Ben's Karate Journey

0:00On April 6, 15-year-old Ben Cotter from Glasgow, beat insane odds to grab a bronze medal at the World Karate Championships in Japan last November. Born straight into neonatal intensive care, he hit life-supported just four weeks old from Bronco Malaysia, where his airways collapsed too easily. Collapsed lungs multiple times left permanent damage, with breathing stops that needed resuscitation from docs or his parents, and he was often on, oxygen as a kid. He started karate at four anyway, powering through exhaustion since his left lung barely worked. Now, a black belt, he got graded, Shodan, first degree level, right there in Japan by a top instructor. He also revs Scotland in his age group and plays rugby, as inside-center for his school and west of Scotland club. His dad, Nicholas, a fourth-than black belt, trains him twice a week. Schoolhead Daniel Wye calls Ben's path extraordinary, from life-threatening collapses to world medalists, all about resilience and discipline.

1:01Coach Mike McCusker remembers him as a frail boy who trained like everyone else, no excuses, turning into a true martial artist in Karate's birthplace. Ben just won British Kumite Champion in London this January 2, and he's eyeing medicine studies down the line. Karate's taken him global, and he plans to stick with it forever. With Italy's big champs next year on deck, Ben's story shows how grit flips the script watch this kid keep rising.