Inverness kickboxer Aidan Lennan becomes world number one in three categories after medal haul at Italian World Cup
Aidan Lennan continued to show that he is among the best young kickboxers in the world when he took five medals - including two golds - from his first visit to the Italian World Cup.
The teenager, who trains out of HMAC Inverness and Wolfpack Martial Arts in Livingston, made the trip to Jesolo to take part in one of the biggest competitions in the world.
Around 2500 different athletes had entered, representing around 300 teams from 44 different countries.
Lennan, though, helped the UK top the national leaderboard, and Wolfpack finish 12th on the club rankings, with two more titles to add to his personal collection.
Kicking things off with the teams event, Lennan fought alongside Harvey Knowles (Northwest Warriors) and Jack Wood (CMA) to earn a silver medal.
Following that up was the individual junior points category, with Lennan taking a bronze medal from a field of 44 athletes before losing out to world number one Joe Brooks in the senior equivalent at the quarter final stage.
The final day of the competition was a successful one for the Inverness teenager, though, winning gold in both the junior light contact and kick light categories.
Also entering the senior light contact, he would make it to the semi finals, only losing to Slovenia’s Ziga Zagoranski by a single point in the semi finals as he settled for another bronze medal.
Lennan’s exploits did see him make history, as he is now ranked world number one at junior level across light contact, kick light and points fighting – becoming the first Scottish fighter to do so.
Writing on social media after returning home to Inverness, he said: “This was my first experience attending the Italian World Cup, and I was truly impressed by the incredible talent displayed by fighters across all divisions from WAKO's finest athletes.
“While results are important, my primary goal for this trip was to participate in the senior light contact category at international level. It was such fun to share the mats with so many remarkable fighters I have been inspired by over the years.
“This experience has offered so much to reflect on and learn from.”
Lennan, who is able to travel and compete at these events through sponsorships and support from Sport Scotland, will now regroup and prepare for the Scottish Championships in Edinburgh over April 5 and 6, before attention turns to defending titles at the Hungarian World Cup in Budapest in June.