Local athlete wins world championship Taekwondo title

A local athlete who learned Taekwondo to defend herself from bullying is now a world champion.

Isabella Lopez,12, of Ventura is the new Weapons Taekwondo World Champion.

She is the daughter of a Santa Barbara mail carrier who took time-off to take her to the competition in Little Rock, Arkansas.

The Lopez family drove there ten days ago and flew home on Saturday.

The well-spoken champion said she started learning Taekwondo when she was just 7.

"It means a lot to me, martial arts is a really good sport. It teaches you discipline and it also teaches you how to defend yourself, and in this case, a lot of people are getting bullied and I don't like it, so when I was in second grade I joined Ignite Martial Arts and it changed my life, said Lopez.

Lopez has a bedroom full of medals and a weight room full of trophies.

She said she was reluctant to compete until she won her very first event.

She credits a scholarship from the McGrath family with helping her pay for her trip to the championship competition.

Lopez also credits her coach Steven Jiroch at Ignite ATA Martial Arts in Ventura.

Fans can follow Isabella's success on Ignite's Facebook page.