His huge medal collection came in the WKA (World Kickboxing and Karate Association) World Championships at the Meadowbank Sports Centre in Edinburgh, Scotland, Oct 23-29. Austin was one of more than 1,000 athletes from 27 countries competing at the event.His medal count included golds in Weapons with music, Weapons/no music, Freestyle with music, Traditional Korean Forms and Traditional Hardstyle Forms. He also grabbed a silver in Extreme Freestyle Forms and a bronze in Extreme Weapons. Austin brought home 7 medals for Team USA in the 13-17 junior male division.
He is very dedicated to his sport and trains for several hours daily and says he loves what he does. Austin has been studying martial arts for the last 10 years and recently earned his 3rd degree black belt through Dragon Karate in Lapeer, under Master Dan Cousineau.
Seven students from Dragon Karate participated in the international competition, including Annthony Cotton, 13, a student at Rolland-Waner Middle School. Anthony captured a bronze medal in Extreme Weapons in the Edinburgh competition in which teammate Austin Dudley won the gold.
Austin has competed on the Michigan Sport Karate Circuit and has held state titles in weapons and forms consecutively since 2005. Austin also has competed as a member of the US National Karate Team and has attended three WKA World Championships in which he brought home medals for the U.S.
In 2007 he won a Bronze medal in weapons with music at Karlsruhe, Germany, and in 2008 in Orlando, Fla., was a Gold medalist in Weapons with music, a Silver medalist in Open Forms with music and a Silver medalist in Traditional Korean Forms.
While in Scotland last week he was offered an all-expense paid trip to Germany to conduct a martial arts seminar for the German National Karate Team.
Austin loves teaching martial arts and currently teaches at GLE gymnastics in Oxford, MI. He hopes to have continued success and open his own karate school one day.
