Age was the only barrier that could hold the tenacious 16-year-old back from a coveted spot at the world tournament in Japan in November.

Competitors must be at least 18 years old for consideration but Johnstone-Ward's domination in the women's open middleweights at the National Kyokushin Knockdown in Sydney at the weekend left selectors in no doubt.

Hanshi John Taylor, head of the Australian Kyokushin Karate Association, hand-picked Johnstone-Ward himself.

For Johnstone-Ward, the selection is a dream come true.

"It's just amazing and I still have to pinch myself," Johnstone-Ward said.

"This is really incredible, I completely didn't expect it, especially because of my age.

"It's going to be awesome."

Johnstone-Ward snared her first national title in 2004 with non-contact fighting and was quickly promoted to Colts full contact division where she was dual Australian champion in 2005-06.

She narrowly missed the open middleweight title at the national full-contact championships later that year, making her latest title even sweeter.

Pressure was not an issue for Johnstone-Ward when she lined up knowing she had to throw everything into raising enough eyebrows to claim a world cup spot.

Preparation was her key.

Knowing she could achieve the goal ahead kept her focussed on the task at hand.

Now she has four months of a gruelling training regime under sensei Steve Hardy to get her prepared.

Hardy's Ballarat dojo boasts four of the 18-strong Australian World Cup squad.