It’s mission accomplished for champion Northsider

A NORTHSIDE girl was celebrating last week after retaining a martial arts title in Bulgaria.  

Rebecca Mooney, a member of Clontarf Taekwondo & Kickboxing Club, became the first 45kg fighter in 23 years to successfully defend a European Taekwondo sparring title in this weight category. 

Rebecca didn’t have it all her own way though as she had to battle through every round to make the final. 

In fact she had a particularly tough battle with a Russian opponent in the opening round and later in the semi final with her Irish teammate Mikaella Moriarty.

With both sides of her nose plugged she then had to face a Pole to retain her title. The two finalists had met on two previous outings with Rebecca coming out on top so the Polish competitor was determined to deny Rebecca a three-in-a-row. 

Despite the Polish girl throwing everything at her, it was Rebecca who got the tactics right and controlled the final from start to finish. 

At this level experience counts for so much and Rebecca took a unanimous win with all four umpires giving her the decision. 

It’s been a strong division for Ireland over recent years and this time all three Irish girls in it made the podium which is very difficult to achieve. 

Rebecca’s victory secures her place in the World Championships which will be held in Ireland for the first time in October. 

Rebecca also celebrated her 17th birthday in Bulgaria and returns to Ireland once again as European Number 1. 

As well as her individual exploits, Rebecca also led the junior female team to a hard earned bronze medal in team sparring. 

The double medal winner will take a break from training now before focusing on preparations for what promises to be a spectacular event on home soil in October. In what was a great week for Irish Taekwondo, congratulations are also due to the other Irish girls who took bronze, Mikaella Moriarty and Alice Larkin.