Dewmanthi Perera is an eight year-old karate champion who recently bagged a gold medal at the Talent Sports Karate Championship 2019 for Kumite organised by Winners Sport Karate Association. She participated in the eight-nine years age category. She was also placed third in the Kata section. She says she loves practising karate so much that she dreams of becoming a karate sensei in the future. Tell us about yourself. My name is Dewmanthi Yasasma Selini Perera and I am eight years old. I attend Kadawatha Dharmadarshi College and am now in grade three. I live in Kadawatha with my parents, my elder brother, and my elder sister. My brother is very big. He is in grade 10 now. My sister is nine years old and she is the one who usually comes to play with me. I also have two cats – one girl named Susu and one boy named Titi. Susu is orange and white. Titi is completely orange in colour. Do you have any hobbies? I don’t have a main hobby, but I love watching television and reading books. Currently, my favourite book is Wanagatha Charikawa. I love to play hide and seek with my sister. My brother comes to play with us sometimes.   When did you start playing karate? I was attending karate classes since I was in grade one. I get trained in school and I don’t attend any private classes.  Kumite requires lots of energy. I also like the punches we get to learn in Kumite I need to participate in more competitions and see how much I can win trainer gives me enough exercises to do when I am at home. They make me strong and make me perform better. What do you like the best, Kata or Kumite? I think I like Kumite better. Kumite requires lots of energy. So I have to make sure I get a good night’s sleep and have a good breakfast before playing. I also like the punches we get to learn in Kumite. Who supports you the most? My family, trainer, school teachers, and the principal. Do you have any future goals? Yes, I do. I need to participate in more competitions and see how much I can win. I also want to learn karate well and become a sensei one day and train little children. I also think that I should study well and get higher grades in school.