Woolley takes Euro bronze
AFTER nine months out of competitive action, Tallaght’s Jack Woolley made a return at the European Taekwondo Championships Olympic Weight Categories in Bosnia & Herzegovina where he captured a bronze medal.
The event, which was run under strict Covid-19 protocols, saw many of Europe’s elite gather in what was to be a tournament very similar to the upcoming European Qualification contest for Tokyo 2021, with the exception of the top two seeds who have already qualified, including Woolley.
South Dublin Taekwondo’s Olympic qualifier Jack Woolley unloads a strike during the European Championships Olympic Weights Categories in Bosnia & Herzegovina where he won a bronze medal
Seeded Number Two in the -58kg division, Woolley was handed a preliminary bye and so lined out in the round of 16 against Bulgarian Daniel Ladzhev who the South Dublin Taekwondo star defeated 30-5.
The quarter finals against Serbian Dmitrij Nagajev finished 22-9 in favour of the Tallaght native, setting up a last four encounter with French fighter Cyrian Ravet.
That was to mark the end of Woolley’s run in the competition as the match finished 19-13 in favour of the Frenchman who continued on to secure the gold.
That bronze marked the Dubliner’s fourth European medal as the tournament brought a challenging year to a conclusion.
A pause in the ranking system due to the global pandemic meant that the tournament carried no ranking points, but still provided Ireland’s first ever Olympic qualifier in Taekwondo with productive ring time against some of Europe’s elite.
With three podium finishes in his last three events, including gold in USA and Bulgaria, Woolley is on a sound footing heading into 2021 and ahead of the Tokyo Summer Games.
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