Vladimir Putin has been awarded another black belt

Russian President and martial arts aficionado Vladimir Putin has been awarded a black belt in Kyokushin karate, according to NTV.ru. The Russian leader already holds a ninth degree black belt in Taekwondo and is the first Russian to achieve eighth dan in Judo, and has even released a book and instructional video on the sport.

Extra Mustard | Nov 21, 2014

Vladimir Putin has been awarded another black belt /

Russian President and martial arts aficionado Vladimir Putin has been awarded a black belt in Kyokushin karate, according to NTV.ru.

The Russian leader already holds a ninth degree black belt in Taekwondo and is the first Russian to achieve eighth dan in Judo, and has even released a book and instructional videos on the sport.

[youtube:http://youtu.be/dYtDQ_t-_HQ]

• Goose is confused by Boise State's blue turf

There are 10 degrees of black belts in the Kyokushin grading system, so Putin still has a way to go before he is truly at the top of the martial art.

How he finds the time to run Russia and also master so many fighting styles is pretty impressive.

GALLERY: ATHLETES TURNED POLITICIANS

Athletes Turned Politicians

Magglio Ordóñez

John Cordes/Icon SMI; Mark Cunningham/MLB Photos via Getty Images

The former six-time MLB All-Star has announced that he will run for Mayor of the Venezuelan oil town Puerto La Cruz. Ordóñez will run on the socialist line in the footsteps of the late President Hugo Chavez, who died of cancer in March 2013. Ordóñez retired in 2012 with a career batting average of .309, 294 home runs and 1,236 RBI in 15 seasons. He was the runner-up for the AL MVP in 2007, the same season he won the AL batting title. Maggs is not the first athlete to become a politician. Here's a look at athletes who found a second career in politics.

Craig James

On Dec. 19, 2011, Craig James left his job as college football analyst for ESPN to run in the Texas Republican Primary for U.S. Senate on April 3. James was a longshot to win and finished a distant fourth with about 4% of the vote.

Shawn Bradley

The former BYU star and No. 2 overall pick in the 1993 NBA Draft lost a 2010 election for a seat in the Utah House of Representatives. Incumbent Democrat Tim Cosgrove won the election. Bradley said, "As a professional entertainer in sports, you get a lot of real-world experience in a world that's not very real -- which is a lot of what politics are."

Chris Dudley

A defensive specialist who played with a blue-collar sensibility throughout his NBA career, Chris Dudley seemed well suited for politics. However in 2010 he lost a close Oregon gubernatorial race to Democrat John Kitzhaber.

Jon Runyan

Not even one year after retiring Runyan found himself in route to Washington. In 2010, he defeated incumbent John Adler for a U.S. House of Representatives' seat in New Jersey's 3rd District. Runyan won re-election in 2012.

Jay Riemersma

The former Buffalo Bills tight end, who retired with the Steelers in 2004, lost in the Michigan Primary in 2010. To Riemersma's credit, he only lost to the eventual victor by 700 votes in a seven-way GOP race.

Alan Page

A member of the famed "Purple People Eaters" in the 1970s, Page laid the groundwork for his post-NFL career even before he retired. While with the Vikings, Page attended University of Minnesota Law School, and in 1992 he was elected to an open seat as Associate Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court. He was reelected in 1998, again in 2004, and for a final time in 2010: Minnesota has mandatory retirement for judges at age 70. Page was born on Aug. 7, 1945.

Manny Pacquiao

In November 2009, the hard-hitting Filipino became the first boxer in history to earn world championships in seven different weight classes. Six months later, Pacquiao upset heavy favorite Roy Chiongbian in the race to represent the southern province of Sarangani in the Philippine Congress.

Arnold Schwarzenegger

He got our attention as a bodybuilder, proclaimed "I'll be back" in The Terminator , and has proved to be an astute politician, winning the governorship of California first in 2003 and again in 2006.

Bill Bradley

The former NBA all-star was a Rhodes scholar and won two NBA titles with the Knicks. He settled in New Jersey, was elected to the Senate in 1978 and served three terms. In 2000, Bradley ran for president, eventually losing the Democratic nomination to Al Gore.

Steve Largent

He has proven to be a winner on and off the field. Largent was the NFL's all-time leading receiver with the Seahawks (his records have since been broken by Jerry Rice) and then went on to a prosperous career in politics. He was elected to serve in Congress as a representative from Oklahoma in 1994, and he was narrowly defeated in a bid to become the state's governor in 2002.

Jack Kemp

After an accomplished NFL career in which he led the Bills to a pair of AFL championships and was the league MVP in 1965, Kemp was a Buffalo representative in the House for 18 years. He would also go on to become Secretary of Housing and Urban Development under George H. W. Bush, and the 1996 Republic Party nominee for Vice President. He passed away in May 2009.

Tom Osborne

Osborne became an icon on the sidelines at Nebraska, averaging 10 wins in his 25 seasons and leading the Cornhuskers to bowl games every year. He's been nearly as popular in politics, where he served three terms as a U.S. representative in Nebraska's 3rd District.

Jim Ryun

A three-time Olympian and world record holder in the mile, 1,500 meters and 800 meters, Ryun served as a representative from Kansas' 2nd District from 1996 through 2007.

Jim Bunning

As a pitcher for the Tigers and Phillies, he blew away opponents and became the second player in history to win 100 games in both the American and National leagues. In 2010 he was the oldest Republican in the Senate and did not seek re-election.

George Weah

The Liberian soccer legend known as "the King" had a successful career in Europe and was the first African to be named the world's best player, in 1995. In 2005, he lost a runoff for president in his native country and in 2011 lost running as a vice presidential candidate.

Ken Dryden

Dryden's motto: The puck stops here. As a Hall of Fame goaltender for the Canadians, Dryden became a national hero by helping Montreal win six Stanley Cups from 1971 through '79. Later, he was elected to Parliament and named to Cabinet as Minister of Social Development.

George H.W. Bush

The 41st President of the United States captained the Yale baseball team and, as a left-handed first baseman, played in the first two College World Series. As the team captain, Bush met Babe Ruth (inset) before a game during his senior year.

George W. Bush

Baseball is in his blood. Before becoming the 43rd President of the United States, Bush was a second baseman at Yale and a part-owner of the Texas Rangers.

J.C. Watts

Watts exhibited his charismatic leadership as a quarterback at Oklahoma, leading the Sooners to consecutive Orange Bowl titles. He then served as an Oklahoma representative in Congress for four terms before retiring in 2003.

Ben Nighthorse Campbell

After competing for the United States in the 1964 Olympic Games in judo, Campbell was elected to the House of Representatives in 1987, where he served for two terms as a democrat. He became a Senator in 1992, switched parties in 1995, and was re-elected in 1998 as a republican. He retired from politics in 2005.

Bob Mathias

At 17, Bob Mathias won his first gold medal in decathlon, only to repeat four years later at the 1952 Olympics. In 1966 he was elected to Congress and was re-elected three times, before losing in the 1974 election. He went on to become the deputy director of the Selective Service, and he assisted Gerald Ford in his presidential campaign.

Dwight Eisenhower

A few years after his football career at West Point ended with a knee injury, Eisenhower became better known as a war hero and the 34th President of the United States.

Gerald Ford

A hero of the Michigan football team before inheriting the presidency from Nixon, Ford was named the Wolverines' Most Valuable Player after his senior year.

Heath Shuler

A Tennessee star, Shuler played for the Saints and Redskins before injuries ended his career. He returned to his home state of North Carolina, where he outsted Rep. Charles Taylor to help the Democrats take control of the U.S. House in 2006.

Jesse Ventura

Jesse "the Body" Ventura seamlessly transferred from a life of pro wrestling to the governor's house of Minnesota. He served from 1999 to 2003 and didn't seek a second term.

Peter Boulware

The former Raven holds the franchise record with 70 career sacks, and narrowly lost a campaign for a Florida House seat in 2008. After the election however, Gov. Charlie Crist appointed him to the Florida Board of Education.

Kevin Johnson

The three-time NBA All-Star added another title to his resume in November 2008, when he won a run-off election to be Sacramento's mayor. Johnson was reelected in 2012. K.J. reached the playoffs every season after his rookie campaign, and is second behind Steve Nash on the Suns all-time assists leaders.

Joe Mesi

Mesi was 36-0 when the Nevada Athletic Commission suspended him because of injuries he suffered against Vassiliy Jirov. In 2008, Mesi lost his bid for a seat in the New York State Senate when he was defeated by Republican Michael Ranzenhofer.

Dave Bing

The 1966 NBA Rookie of the Year and a member of the league's 50th Anniversary Team, Dave Bing became Detroit's third mayor in less than a year after winning a special run-off election in May 2009. He announced on May 14, 2013, he would not run for reelection. During his term as mayor of Detroit, the city declared bankruptcy.

Sam Wyche

Sam Wyche started just nine games at quarterback in the NFL, but went on to coach eight seasons with Cincinnati and four with Tampa Bay. Wyche, who made it to the Super Bowl with the Bengals after the 1988 season, won a seat as a Republican on the Pickens County Council in South Carolina in 2008.

Baron Hill

Baron Hill served six terms as a Congressman representing Indiana's 9th District. Hill was a standout basketball player in high school, and played in college for Furman University. He was inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame in 2000, the same year as Larry Bird.

- Brendan Maloy

Published Nov 21, 2014

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