South Lanarkshire Junior Female award goes to Carluke karate girl Emma Ruthven

Emma (16), who became the first Scottish girl ever to win a World Karate Federation European Championship medal this February, received the prize for this area’s top junior female at Hamilton Town Hall earlier this month.

Her delighted dad Andrew told the Carluke Gazette: “Emma was absolutely fantastic at the Euros. She is a wee star, really good and world class.

“She trains so hard and to go to those Euros, represent Scotland and be our first female ever to come back with a medal was wonderful.

“She is absolutely chuffed to bits to have done it.”

Emma, a member of the Renfrew-based Shitokai Scotland club, landed her historic European bronze medal at this winter’s championships in Sochi, Russia. It was in the discipline of kata, a non-combat format in which participants have to impress judges with three minutes of karate moves.

She is also the reigning three-time Scottish champion and is ranked sixth cadets under-16 ace in the WKF rankings.

Since February, she has also won a silver medal at March’s Slovakian Open, gold and bronze at the Scottish International Open in Glasgow in April and gold at last month’s Cumbrian Open.

Fellow Clydesdale sports stars Scott Forrest (Senior Male) and Mark Ford (Junior Male) also got South Lanarkshire awards