KENT karate player Rachel Bramley is celebrating after collecting three gold medals at the world championships.

The 25-year-old from Canterbury is a 2nd Dan black belt after 14 years of competing at the sport.

More than 1,500 competitors from 22 countries took part in the Funakoshi Shotokan Karate Association World Championships in Crawley, West Sussex.

Bramley beat-off stiff competition to win gold in the women’s Kata and the Kumite disciplines and also took gold as part of the England team in the team fighting category.

She was only able to attend the event after being given permission to take the weekend off her job, working for the Board of Immigration in Coquelles.

Despite the IOC’s refusal to recognise karate as an Olympic sport, Bramley is gearing up for another World Championships assault in 2008.