South Dublin Taekwondo bag five medals at Riga Open

SOUTH Dublin Taekwondo’s young athletes delivered an impressive series of performances at the Riga Open in Latvia, returning home with five international medals following two days of high-level competition.

The Tallaght-based Olympic Taekwondo club was represented by a ten-athlete team across the cadet, junior and senior divisions at the international ranking event on August 29 and 30.

Victoria Laurel led the medal charge by claiming gold in the cadet competition, while Darius Turcitu secured an excellent silver medal in the junior division. Sorena Shiravani, Dyzile Chin Estrada and Yeva Kovalchuk each added bronze medals to the team’s tally.

The event marked an important milestone for both Victoria and Darius, who earned their first international ranking medals. Both athletes began their taekwondo journeys at grassroots level with South Dublin Taekwondo and have progressed through the club’s development pathway to represent the team internationally.

Anna Mahesh, Ryan Lugares, Claire White and Nicholas Buffini-Taaffe also produced strong performances against experienced international opposition, narrowly finishing outside the medal places.

On the second day, senior athlete Ryan Doyle moved into the highly competitive 80kg division. Doyle recorded a Round of 16 victory over an opponent from Moldova before losing to Bulgaria in the quarter-final, securing an impressive fifth-place finish.

The team was supported in Riga by

coaches Robert Taaffe and Leroy Nsilu Dilandu, together with trainer Lisbeth Mahesh. The travelling group also joined with clubs from across Ireland in supporting Irish athletes throughout the weekend, creating a strong sense of shared national identity around the competition area.

Founded in 2008, South Dublin Taekwondo is a long-established community club operating from the Arena Shopping Centre in Tallaght since 2018. The club provides a structured sporting pathway for children, teenagers and adults—from those attending their first recreational class for fitness and friendship to athletes aspiring to compete at national and international level.

Head coach Robert Taaffe said the Riga performances reflected the collective effort behind the athletes.

“The medals are a wonderful reward, but we are equally proud of every athlete who stepped onto the mat and represented the club with courage and respect. These performances are built through the work taking place in the club each week and through the support of coaches, training partners, volunteers and families.

“It is particularly rewarding to see young athletes who began at grassroots level developing the confidence and ability to compete internationally. That progress is only possible because of the community of people supporting them throughout the journey.”

South Dublin Taekwondo are currently recruiting for their next generation of taekwondo athletes and anyone interested can contact them at info@sd-tkd.com to sign up for a trial class or request to join their team.