First NI Poomsae championships take place in city

This competition attracted 270 competitors from all over the UK, Ireland, Isle of Man and Gibraltar making it one of the biggest events of its kind in the UK.

Individuals of all ages and abilities had the opportunity to play off against each other in the hopes of winning a medal.

Members of Lisburn Taekwondo Club did particularly well, securing the first place team trophy with a series of impressive performances. As an association the local club were delighted at the opportunity to bring the championships to Lisburn, the European City of Sport 2013, and would like to extend their gratitude to Lisburn Racquets club for their hospitality and enthusiasm in accommodating this event. Thanks must also go to Councillor Paul Porter from Lisburn City Council and Kevin Madden from Sport Lisburn for their continued support and generosity, both at the competition and throughout the year.

Competitions such as these offer an excellent platform for our players to develop their confidence, ability and standing within UK Taekwondo.

Laura Burns, an upcoming talent from Lisburn Taekwondo Club, achieved three bronze medals on the day against tough opposition from seasoned international competitors. Laura has been gaining experience on the international stage for the past three years and was this year selected onto the GB National Poomsae squad at under 29 level. To find out more about the club, please visit the website at www.lisburntaekwondo.co.uk or find them on Facebook.

Meanwhile, there was success for Aghalee Taekwondo Club at the championships. Matthew Wylie, in his first competition achieved a Gold medal in the ‘Class D1 U9 Male’ category. Matthew was the youngest in his group at only 5 years old, but he blew the competition away with a performance that defied his young age.

The hotly contested U9 Male Division had 22 players, and Thomas McCavigan gave an excellent performance in this group to come away with a Bronze medal despite being up against higher grades.

Lexie Spence showed that practice does make perfect by picking up the Silver medal in the ‘D Class U11 Female’ category. Tierna-Leigh

Holden put in a polished performance to pick up the Bronze medal in the ‘D Class U14 Female’ category, and Ben McBarron pulled out all the stops to pickup a Bronze medal in the ‘D Class U11 Male’ category. In the teams and pairs, Thomas Green together with Leah Lamont from Monsktown Taekwondo Club put on a tremendous performance to win the Bronze medal Cadet Pair class. Every single student is to be congratulated.