Original URL: https://www.theregister.com/2013/11/15/putin_whups_norris/

Vladimir PUTIN officially HARDER than CHUCK NORRIS

So say Taekwondo chiefs, and presumably they know

By Lester Haines

Posted in Bootnotes, 15th November 2013 09:29 GMT

Russian prez Vladimir Putin has been awarded a taekwondo ninth-degree black belt, which means he's now officially toppled Chuck Norris from his muscle-bound position as the hardest man on the planet.

The ninth-degree belt is as high as you can go in taekwondo. Norris is apparently an eighth-degree killing machine, but he's no match for Putin. The Russian Federation supremo also has a black belt in judo, and is allegedly capable of leading his horse to water AND making it drink.

Putin accepted the honour from the World Taekwondo Federation's head honcho Choue Chung-won while on a trip to South Korea, the BBC reports. He modestly said: "I'm not sure if I deserve this."

Well, we're certainly not going cast aspersions on Vlad's credential's, now that he's the man who "doesn't read books", but "stares them down until he gets the information he wants". ®