THIRTEEN is said to be an unlucky number - but for budding Tae-kwon-do star Ryan Campbell it is anything but.

The 15-year-old from Newport has won 13 competitions this season and his year peaked when he won the recent British Championship in Kettering.

The Hartridge High School pupil won the 15-17 age group category after winning all of his four fights.

Speaking from his Royal Oak Drive home, young Campbell said: "It was a very tough competition with excellent fighters and I was delighted to win.

"However I didn't perform at my best - I just thought I was average.

"2001 has been a great year for me as I have won 13 gold medals and am undefeated."

Campbell trains five times a week at Newport Tae-kwon-do club in the Newport Centre but he said it is just a hobby.

"I started Tae-kwon-do as a hobby a few years ago and that is all it is - a hobby. I have no ultimate desire to become a professional."

Campbell has this year won the British Junior Championships, the World Championships in Warsaw, Poland, the European Junior Championships, the Welsh Open and Closed tournaments and the Scottish championships to name but a few.

He has also been nominated for Newport's Young Sportsman of the Year award.