TMA stars strike gold at Worlds

SEVENTEEN athletes from Tallaght Martial Arts recently represented Ireland at the Junior World Championships with over 4000 competitors taking part.

The competition took place in Jesolo, Italy with TMA members making up 17 of the 73 total athletes representing Team Ireland.

These 17 would earn one gold, one silver and two bronze medals alongside multiple top five and top ten finishes and a host of individual competition victories.

Many of these athletes have been with the club since they were four years old and have gone from taking their first steps into a class to competing at a World Championship with over 4000 spectators.

Cillian McArdle led the way for the club earning a gold medal in the Full Contact category becoming a world champion after winning all three of his fights.

Reece “Smiley” Doyle also enjoyed huge success competing across three separate categories and coming away with a world championship silver.

He is a well seasoned competitor having already been a European Champion and a previous World Championship medallist, this latest medal continues what has already been an exceptional international career.

Adam Myers earned bronze at the World Championships fighting for the first time in the Full Contact discipline winning two fights on his way to the podium.

Isabel Golding was another who secured bronze as well as a top five finish across two further sections. Golding is an experienced competitor and is a previous winner at international tournaments.

The rest of TMA also put on stellar performances with Daire Ryan, Polly Jones, Georgia Clarke, Amy Comerford, Max Byron May, Liam Feeney, Ryan O’Toole, Brian O’Connor, Edward Comerford, Eoin Finn, Dara Kelly Clarke, Max Myers and Shannon Conlon all putting on hugely impressive performances.

For every member of the team, competing at a World Championship is an extraordinary achievement.

For those who progressed through rounds, won fights or reached the later stages of their sections, the achievement is even more remarkable.

And for the four athletes who returned with medals, it is a moment they — and their families, coaches and club — will never forget.

17 TMA athletes. 73 athletes representing Team Ireland. Four World Championship medals. Multiple top-five and top-ten finishes.

But perhaps the statistic that means the most is that behind all of those results are 17 young people from the Tallaght community who have shown just how far dedication and hard work can take you.

From the youngest children walking into TMA for the first time, to athletes standing on a World Championship podium, the club continues to give Tallaght’s young people a place to learn, grow and achieve.

Over Thirty years in the community — and TMA is still putting Tallaght on the world stage.