Adrian King

NINGEN martial arts earned its third representative on the Busta Squad, Jamaica's combined martial arts team, when Adrian King was named as its new invitee, joining Kenneth Edwards and Scott Wright in the line-up for the team's 2011 season.

King, who has strong martial arts lineage with his mother being Sensei Lola King of NIngen, won international bronze at the US Open.

Locally, he won gold medals at the Shai Tai International as well as the Black Belt Invitational at the University of Technology auditorium in December.

King emerged as a surprise invitee, not being among those considered to clinch the coveted spot on the much-travelled team.

However, he beat two combined team fighters in local tournaments to clinch his spot.

"I beat Sean Cummings and Kevin McDowell," he told STAR Sports. "I beat McDowell in June at the Shai Tai Kickboxing Tournament and Cummings at the Blackbelt Invitational in December."

King is now scheduled for two tours with the team, both in the USA - the US open and the White Tiger International in July.

Although an unlikely pick for the Asian tour in May, King still enjoys all the privileges of training and travelling with the team, which will enable him to qualify for a top-10, as Sean Barnes and McDowell did before him.

"It really means a lot to be part of the combined martial arts team because I worked really hard for it," he said. It took many months of training and it has been one of my goals since I started martial arts to make the team.

"I am really glad to be a part of the team. I am looking to improve, take it one step at a time," King added