TEGAN Johnson cried tears of happiness after becoming the first female student at Onna Ju-Jitsu Club to achieve a Gold Tab 12 grading.

The 16-year-old follows fellow senseis Ibrahim Yunis, Siraj Khan and Zakariyah Yunis in getting to that level.

In addition, women senseis Connie Tu and Nabila Ayub received their black belts, while Sensei John Shaw was awarded his second black belt.

Johnson's achievement prompted her to deliver a power-point presentation, which touched upon the 'This Girl Can' campaign, outlining her feat.

She said: "During my Gold Tab 12 grading, I pushed myself more than I ever have before. Ju-Jitsu, for me, is about pushing myself.

"It's about courage, determination, and honour – all qualities I've gained from my ten years of training.

"I started when I was six, gained my junior black belt aged ten and I've become a much better person from it. All my proudest moments involve my training.

"My grading involved being a Uke for the black belts (so I was thrown around a lot) and then demonstrating knowledge of my syllabus.

"It was incredibly difficult physically – but then I gave a presentation of my journey through ju-jitsu and that was mentally challenging.

"I cried from happiness because this is definitely the biggest thing I've ever done. Part of what made me so proud is that only three people have done this before in my club and I was the first female.

"It showed that girls can be just as good as boys at martial arts and I think that is an invaluable lesson."

Johnson added: "I have competed in National Championships for ju-jitsu and so my next aim is to compete again. After that, I will get my senior black belt and hopefully progress to become a coach.

"One thing is for sure, I don't think I'll ever stop training. I want to be a barrister and I've just completed my GCSEs, in which I was predicted 5A*s, 4As and a B (in Russian), so hopefully I'll also do well in my A Levels."

Club founder Sensei Mumtaz Khan said: "Onna Ju-Jitsu Club not only focuses on developing martial art techniques but also life skills, such as presentations, public speaking, coaching and personal development.

"As a coach, I feel honoured to be a part of Tegan's development and am confident that she will do well in all that she wishes to achieve.

"She is a great role model for the younger students and is well respected by senior members of the club."

Khan is starting a new club at the University of Bradford next month as part of West Yorkshire Sport's Satellite Project, for which she won a gold award in 2014.