Cecil Boy Earns 'World Champion' Title

For one boy, the title of World Champion can already be added to his resume.

Colin McKinney, 9, son of Lori and Harold McKinney, said the pupil—who will be in fourth-grade next year—ranked in the top 10 in the world in Taekwondo, and was recently invited to the American Taekwondo Association World Championships, where he was awarded a bronze medal in sparring.

“This is a huge honor and we are so proud of him,” Lori McKinney said.

The competition, held late last month, took place in Little Rock, Ark., and included competitors from the United States, Canada and several other countries, with only 10 people from the U.S. and Canada qualifying to compete in each category.

Colin participated in five, winning the bronze medal in sparring in the process.

This honor came after the second-degree black belt won the ATA’s state championship in all the divisions in which he competed—successfully defending his title from last year.

Colin practices under 5^th-degree black belt Michael Estep at Estep's ATA Taekwondo & Karate For Kids Center in Kennedy Township.