CACERES, Spain (AP) – A 16-year-old Spanish matador killed six bulls in one afternoon Saturday, pulling off a feat normally attempted only by seasoned veterans and winning trophies for his skill — ears from animals he had just slain.

Jairo Miguel Sanchez Alonso, who nearly died from a horrific goring in Mexico in 2007, smiled broadly and waved to a friendly hometown crowd after a pageant that took about two and a half hours.

A tall and slender boy who is also amazingly articulate for his age, he showed off his stuff in an arena called Plaza Era de los Martires, or Time of the Martyrs.

The bullfighter, who goes by the stage name of Jairo Miguel, turned in his best performance with bull No. 5, a hulking black specimen that weighed 435 kilograms (959 pounds).

After skillful cape-work, he finished off the bull with a single deathblow from his sword, sliding it into a spot where it severed the beast’s spinal chord. With the rest of the bulls, he needed around three stabs.

This is considered too many, and Jairo Miguel acknowledged frustration with that part of his work, although he felt his effort was a success overall and said he was never scared.

For the fifth bull, he was awarded the animal’s severed ears, one of the bullfighting world’s prizes for a job well done. He took a slow victory lap around the ring, showing the organs to the crowd.

Minutes before he stepped into the ring, Jairo Miguel hugged his father Antonio, a former bullfighter, and in a powerfully emotional scene they both cried.

Wearing a sparkling white suit of lights with gold sequins that twinkled in the late afternoon sun, the young toreador was greeted by a two-thirds full 5,000-seat bullring in Caceres, in Spain’s southwest Extremadura region.

The average age for matadors in Spain is 25 to 30. Jairo Miguel spent around four years fighting in Latin America to escape the strict age limit of 16 in Spain.

The normal format for a bullfight is three matadors taking on two animals each. Aficionados say it is extremely rare for a matador as young as 16 to fight six, a challenge requiring great physical and mental stamina.

In an interview the night before the big fight, Jairo Miguel said he was nervous but confident. A boy with a baby face and a nice smile, he bears a scar from the ghastly goring that nearly punctured his heart in Mexico.