Trenic TKD at the ITF World Championships 2016
View all articles
After an intense year of National qualifiers, squad and
regional training 22 members from the Trenic Taekwon-do Academy were selected
to compete at the ITF World Championships in Brighton, England. Following an
intense 8 week training schedule of fitness, conditioning and sparring drills,
the team were look fit, strong and ready to compete.
After a jaw dropping opening ceremony with displays ranging
from world class singers to flawless dancers and gymnasts the competition was
ready to commence with Grand Master Nicholls declaring the event officially
open.
Day one and it was time for our youngest competitors
Laurence Liboro and Karen Abu-Abdallah to take to the ring. What they were
lacking in experience they were certainly making up for with determination and
enthusiasm. Drawing tough opponents in the first round we knew this was not
going to be easy. With Lawrence instructed to stay light on his feet and throw
sharp combinations he was able to dominate the round and take an early win.
Moving swiftly into the finals Lawrence Faced a well drilled opponent from
Russia. With the score card too close to call, the crowd were on their feet
waiting in anticipation to hear the result. Unfortunately this was not to be Lawrence’s
day conceding the win however taking a well-earned silver medal.
It was a similar story for Karen Abu-Abdallah who after a
well fought fight against the taller Argentinian opponent was unable to secure
the win, however took a silver medal in the hyper weight pre-junior division.
This was a great experience for the newly promoted black belt and we are sure
that this will only leave her more fired up for the next big event.
Up next and looking to continue the medal hall were our -16year
juniors. Competing in this division were Balaj Hussain, Dolci Grove, Katie
Hetherington, Ryan Meredith, Leonard Liboro and Jason Morrison.
The first competitor to take to the ring was Leonard Liboro.
Competing in his first international event, Leonard stepped up, unfazed by the
occasion. After a very strong start to his sparring campaign, and showing the
heart of a champion it was perhaps his lack of experience that resulted in him
taking an early loss. Leonard will certainly be one to watch out for in the
near future.
With moral low, we needed a strong win to turn the tides. Called
up next was Balaj Hussain in the hyper weight division. From the start Balaj
came out strong, it was clear he was here to win. Into the second round and a
well-timed kick followed by a flurry of punches left his opponent unable to
continue. One fight down and one to go….Facing a heavier opponent from Canada,
Balaj knew he had to outwork his opponent and stay at rang. After comfortably
taking the first round Balaj began to relax, demonstrating a master class in
Taekwon-Do sparring. As the final bell was called Balaj was crowned World
Junior Champion.
Looking to follow in similar fashion was current European
champ Dolci Grove. After dominating her first opponent with direct punches and
a strong lead leg turning kicks, Dolci was looking focused and fired up for her
final bout against the equally talented Czech fighter. Dolci was instructed to
be patient and work of her lead side-kick to the body to set her up for using
her hands. Fortunately the tactics paid off and with a strong side kick Dolci
was able to stop the Czech fighter and cause her to throw in the towel.
Congratulations go out to Dolci for taking top spot on the podium and a second
world title for Trenic TKD.
Up next was Katie Hetherington in the 1st Degree
patterns division. Matching her
Argentinian opponent on both strength and technique we knew this was going to
be a hard call. With the first pattern done and a split decision by the
referees, Katie knew she had to step up and perform to her best ability. After completing her pattern to the raw of
the crowd, Katie was unfortunately left with a loss by split decision. This
however only left her more fired up for the sparring. Cruising through her
first fight Katie met a similar fighter to herself from Kyrgyzstan. Matching
each other kick for kick this was once again going to be a tough call for the
judges. Although showing heart and determination Katie was unable to take the
gold and had to settle for a well fought silver medal.
After a good night’s rest we all returned to the venue early
morning ready to continue where we left off. First to be called was Ryan
Meredith. In the light weight division
Ryan was looking strong, outworking and controlling his first opponent. Working
his way to the finals Ryan was faced off against an old rival Joel Cassar (also
from Team UK). Confidently stepping on the ring, Ryan was ready to take the
title. Battling through two tough rounds and trading blow for blow, the fight
was a true pleasure to watch. Unfortunately for Ryan the decision went to
fellow team member Joel. Still a great fight from both and we look forward to
watching them meet again in the near future.
Up next and eager to compete was Jason Morrison in the
welter weight sparring division. Winning the ITF World Championships in Rome as
a pre-junior, we all knew stepping up to the -16years category was always going
to be a tough leap. Although fighting will skilful kicks and well timed counter
attacks this was unfortunately not to be a repeat of the previous World Championships.
We are sure Jason will be back, bigger, faster, stronger and more motivated for
the next challenge ahead of him.
Our penultimate junior to compete for Trenic was the
well-established fighter Harry Evans. With World and European titles to his
name, Harry was raring to add once again another gold medal to his collection.
Now competing in the hyper weight division where he would be met with equally
strong opponents we knew this would be no push over. After a solid first fight
against a very leggy Canadian opponent Harry was then paired against a skilful
counter attacker from Italy. With tactics set to blitz his opponent and force
him to make mistakes, Harry was drawing the match at the end of the first bell.
As the second round progressed Harry was unfortunate in receiving a number of
warnings, resulting in the score favouring the Italian opponent. Although
devastated with his first loss in over 3 years, Harry has already found himself
back down the gym ironing out the weaknesses, the sign of a true professional
fighter.
Our final competitor to take to the ring was Tate Budge,
Reigning World and European Champion now competing in the 3rd Degree
tul division. With precise and powerful technique, Tate dominated over his
competitors to take yet another gold medal to add to his growing collection.
It was then onto our adults to compete. With anticipation
and adrenaline filling the room the atmosphere was one of suspense. Competing
in the 4th degree male patterns were Jamie McAvoy and Reece
Nicholls. In a division packed with
talent and experience both Jamie and Reece knew this was going to be tough and
nothing less than perfect would do.
Progressing through the rounds and growing in confidence, Jamie was able
to secure a well-deserved bronze medal with Reece falling just short of the
podium.
Up next in the 5th Degree patterns was current
world and European Champion Matthew Brunger and experienced competitor Gav
Sidhu. Against tough competitors both Matthew and Gav earned their place in the
semi-Finals. This was however not to be an all-England final with Gav narrowly
losing to a very accomplished competitor from Team USA. Looking to make up for
Gav’s loss and take the World title once again, Matthew faced USA in a nail
biting final. With both choice and designated patterns performed the referee
stepped to the ring to raise Matthew’s hand and name him the 2016 5th
Dan World Champion.
Also looking to add to the medal tally in the ladies
divisions were Gemma O’Connor, Gurlaine Sidhu and Prit Sidhu. After a strong
start from both Gemma and Gurlaine they were both unable to make it all the way
to the finals, taking bronzes in a very talented division. Prit was
representing in the 5th Degree division and after what was a very
disappointed run in the 2014 World Championships was looking to reset the
records. Going strong Prit advanced to the finals against a Canadian opponent.
Although Prit performed well she was pipped to the gold medal but left happy
with the silver medal.
Patterns finished, it was then time to move onto the
sparring divisions. Looking to set the standard for the day was Jamie McAvoy
and Ryan Hamdy in the micro weight division. Current world champion Jamie came
out looked sharp from the onset, dropping his opponent with a clean body shot
in the first round. Ryan Hamdy followed in similar fashion using his strength
and fitness to out-work his opponent.
Moving into the second round Jamie faced a fast and agile Argentinian
competitor. Using his ring craft and well timed shots Jamie was able to throw
the Argentinian of his game plan and comfortably take the win. For Ryan, his
next opponent was the heavier Canadian fighter. Staying alert and throwing
sharp shots, Ryan was able to keep his opponent missing and as the final bell
rung Ryan took his second win by unanimous decision. Unfortunately Ryan was unable to make it to
the final losing narrowly to the taller Argentinian fighter who would later
face Jamie in the finals. With 4minutes and an Argentinian in his way of taking
his second world title, Jamie was eager to enter the ring. Dominating from the
start Jamie demonstrated the true values of a world class fighter clinching the
decision in spectacular fashion.
Up next for Team Trenic was Lee Hollingsworth in the light
weight division. After a close fought silver in the Rome World Championships
Lee was keen to get back onto the mats. Facing once again his talented rival
from Argentina, Lee’s leg speed and accuracy gave him an early lead in the
fight. As the bout progressed into its final stages, the contest was too close
to call resulting in a draw and 1 extra round being added. Although exchanging
kick for kick and punch for punch, the Argentinian took the decision by the
narrowest of margins, progressing through the competition to top spot on the
podium. Lee although disappointed took a respectable bronze medal.
Also fighting in the light weight division was Aaron Mather.
Dominating as a junior and taking the World title back in Rome 2014 we all knew
the jump from junior to adult would not come easy. After a solid performance in
his first fight Aaron was unfortunate to take a loss in the second round in
which matched up to be a very close contested bout. This was a great experience
for Aaron and we look forward to watching him as he matures in age and as a
competitor.
In the middleweight division both Gav Sidhu and Reece
Nicholls had qualified and had their eyes on the gold medal. With well-timed
counter attacks and head rattling side-kicks both Reece and Gav outclassed their
opposition earning themselves a place in all England final. They say styles
make fights and this was no exception. Reece’s relentless style of fighting
against Gavs text book counter-attacks made for a real crowd pleaser. As the
final bell was called, Reece took the decision in was a well worthy gold medal
bout.
The last men to compete were Martyn Porter and Matthew
Brunger in the heavy weight division. Against a very awkward fighter from
Germany, Martyn battled through the rounds however took an unfortunate loss. Up
next was Matthew Brunger. Moving up from middle to heavy he knew this would
pose new challenges for him. Against Canada in his first fight Matthew used
good timed punches to keep his opponent on the back foot and out the fight.
Progressing into the next contest Matt faced an experienced fighter from Italy.
In a chess game match up both Matt and his opponent looked to draw one another
in for a well-timed counter attack. Unfortunately Matt was not to win this
contest leaving him even more fired up for the team sparring along with team
mate Martyn.
With the men done, it was down to our ladies to then bring
home the gold….which they did in spectacular fashion. The first gold came by
way of heavy weight sparring. Gemma, the current European sparring champion
battled her way through 3 tough rounds before facing Australia in the finals.
Looking to dominate with power kicks Gemma kept her game plan simple to take
her first world title and top spot on the podium.
This was a similar story for Laurie Cornwell who in the
middle weight division used her power to dominate and control the ring. Facing
a very proficient kicker in the final fight, Laurie looked to close the
distance and use accurate punches to throw the Greek fighter of her game. As
the final round was called to an end Trenic saw its second lady take top spot
on the podium and the Wold Title back home.
The final medal for our ladies came by way of Gurlaine Sidhu
in the light weight division. Facing
tough opponents and with a forward fighting style, Gurlaine was able to secure
herself a well-deserved bronze medal narrowly losing to the experienced
Argentinian fighter who went on to take the gold.
Great sparring performances were also put in by Prit Sidhu
and Jay Gilbert however neither lady was able to secure the win, falling just
short of the podium.
Trenic TKD would also like to congratulate the following
students that were privileged to be selected to compete as part of the 5 member
team in their respective categories;
Matthew Brunger, Jamie McAvoy, Reece Nicholls, Martyn
Porter, Laurie Cornwell, Gemma O’Connor, Jay Gilbert, Prit Sidhu, Gurlaine
Sidhu, Harry Evans, Balaj Hussain, Tate Budge, Ryan Meredith, Dolci Grove,
Katie Hetherington.
TEAM RESULTS
MENS TEAM
GOLD Sparring
SILVER patterns
WOMENS TEAM
BRONZE Sparring
Bronze Patterns
JUNIOR BOYS TEAM
GOLD Sparring
BRONZE Patterns
JUNIOR GIRLS TEAM
SILVER Sparring
SILVER Patterns
SILVER Special
GOLD Power
OVERALL CHAMPIONS
Jamie McAvoy (GOLD
Sparring/Bronze Patterns)
Men’s Overall Team (Gold
Sparring/Silver Patterns)
Written by: Trenic TKD - 9th September 2016
Sorry, but you need to login to your account to add feedback. Login now, or if you are not a member then apply to join here | 
Log In
