May Sports Star of the Month: Jack Woolley

SOUTH Dublin Taekwondo’s Jack Woolley returns to the line-up of contenders for The Echo Sports Star of the Year crown.

Already a two-time winner of this accolade, the Tallaght man secured his place among the 2022 line-up after he captured silver at the European Senior Taekwondo Championships at the Manchester Regional Arena last month.

And the Dubliner, who currently sits third in the Olympic rankings, pushed eventual champion, Cyrian Ravet all the way in the Flyweight decider.

Indeed, only a solitary point separated the two up to the closing ten seconds of their match before the French man pulled away for a 12-5 victory.

Woolley kicked off his European campaign with a 28-0 demolition of Serbia’s Filip Hajnal in the Last 16 to set up a quarter-final clash with Turkey’s Omer Faruk Dayioglu against whom he fought back from behind to clinch a 17-14 victory.

In the penultimate rounds, Woolley prevailed against fellow Toyko Olympian, Adrian Vicente Yunta, who had beaten him in their previous three encounters, to set up a clash with Ravet who had beaten Olympic gold medallist, Vito Dellaquilla in his respective semi.