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Last updated Mar 9, 2023

Basseterre, St. Kitts, March 9, 2023 (ZIZ Newsroom) –Kittitian National and Grand Master in Tae Kwon Do and Hapkido, George Somersall recently attained the highest rank in Taekwondo, which is the 9^th Dan black belt.

Somersall was awarded this latest rank after participating in the 480^th Taekwondo promotion test conducted by the World Taekwondo Chang Moo Kwan on January 30, 2023.

In an exclusive interview with ZIZ News, Somersall, who is currently living in Bronx New York, explained that this 9^th Dan rank took years to achieve.

He stated, “I started at the age of five. So presently, to be honest, it took me 55 years before I get to that level. It’s a very long process, because, from white belt up to 1st Dan it took up to three and a half, four years. Then from there on, took another two years in between three years, between four years, and five years before you achieved the other ranking, so the highest rank that you can achieve is the one that I have right now, which is the 9th Dan.”

He noted that he is the only person in St. Kitts and Nevis and the wider Caribbean who holds this title.

He also explained that with this achievement he can now promote other Taekwondo students who wish to attain a higher rank.

“So I’m able to rank a lot of people from all over who have to come to me, for me to rank them, to get achievement in different ranks from 1st Dan up to 9th Dan in Taekwondo.”

The 9^th Dan rank in Taekwondo is not the only achievement under Somersall’s belt, he was also inducted three times in the Taekwondo Hall of Fame.

“I am the first person, also from St. Kitts to be, inducted into the Hall of Fame. I was inducted first in 2004, 2007, and 2013. I was inducted in Korea in 2013, and I’m the senior Vice President for the Taekwondo Hall of Fame here in New York and abroad.”

Somersall, who hails from Haynes Smith Village, attributes much of his success to his brother, Glenroy Somersall, and his first Taekwondo Instructor, Arthur Henry.

Somersall said he is currently working with law enforcement and any individual who wants to learn self-defense techniques at his three schools in New York.