Tallaght Martial Artists excel at WAKO Junior World Championships

TALLAGHT Martial Arts has once again proven its prowess on the global stage at the WAKO Junior World Championships in Budapest, held from August 23 to September 1, competing against over 3,300 athletes, the team delivered outstanding performances.

Of Tallaght’s 15 athletes the club took home an impressive seven individual medals and two team medals.

Cillian McArdle, reigning European Kick Light Champion was the first to take a medal for Team Ireland and TMA in his first international outing in the ring for Full Contact.

Cillian battled to the very end with a minus point just costing him progressing into the semi-finals. Cillian takes a well deserved bronze medal home against Kazakhstan in -57kg Full Contact division.

Callum O’Connor was next up to take a Bronze – The first ever World Championship Bronze medal in K1 for Team Ireland.

Callum worked ferociously and lost out on a close split decision to Moldova in -67kg K1 division.

Eoin Finn was a powerhouse of work all week taking two medals in two different divisions.

A Silver in Points fighting against Guatemala and a Bronze in Light Contact against a talented Bulgarian both divisions in Older Cadet -47kg.

Also, in -47kg divisions was team mate Reece Doyle who took on three sections and progressed through each taking a well-deserved bronze against Great Britain in his Light Contact semi-final.

Nathan Clarke fought his way to the finals in the Light Contact Older Cadet -52kg section and was barely beaten by Croatia to take home an unbelievable silver medal.

Nathan also entered multiple sections for the championships and did remarkably well in each.

The last silver medal was taken home by the lightening quick Edward Comerford in his -37 Older Cadet points fighting division in a heated final against Hungary.

At the end of the individual bouts the teams hit the mats with Amy Comerford and Isabel Golding being a part of a spectacular team who took the Bronze in a huge section along with teammates Amelia Lennon and Abbie Wade.

While not every athlete from TMA progressed to the final rounds, each competitor showcased remarkable skill and tenacity, representing their club and country with pride.

Special congratulations to these fighters, Sarah Cassidy, Leo Golding, Eryn Birkhead, Anna White, Naman Shrivastava, Dara Kelly & Dillon King for their participation, their hard work and their sportsmanship both on and off the mats.

This remarkable achievement underscores the dedication and hard work of these young athletes, bringing immense pride to the Tallaght community.

Their success at such a high level of competition is truly a testament to their commitment and the quality of training provided by the club.