Karate kids do Corduff club proud

THREE young karate students from Corduff did their club proud earlier this month when they travelled across the Irish Sea to represent Ireland at the Karate Union of Great Britain Shotokan Cup.

Eva Thunder, Shay Kelly and Leeanne Royle were at the event in Chesterfield as part of the United Shotokan Karate Federation of Ireland team.

It’s one of the top Shotokan competitions the UK has to offer, and it was a real test for the local trio, but it was one they passed with flying colours.

Eva dominated the girls’ 10-11 yrs Kumite (freestyle) event.

After some superb performances in the elimination rounds she made it to the final and Eva’s tenacity was too much for her opponent.

The local youngster went on to score in decisive fashion, eventually going on to win the bout and take her second title in what was only her second international event. 

In the boys’ 10-11 yrs Kumite Shay was flying the flag for Ireland.

He’s been a member of the international squad for over a year now and has that little bit more experience, which stood to him on the day.

Shay stormed through the eliminations with some real dominating performances, highlighting his versatility with different strikes scoring well on his opponents.

Shay secured himself a silver medal in this event after a close final bout.

He also performed well in his Kata event, making it through to the quarterfinals in what was a very tough contest.

Finally, Leeanne made her full return to competition after taking some time out to concentrate on her studies. She took up where she left off last year, dominating in both her Kata and Kumite events.

After some superb performances in the eliminations, Leeanne secured her place in the final for both categories. She eventually took silver after being narrowly beaten by .1 of a point.

In the Kumite, Leeanne showed her experience, composure and a high level of skill to secure the title of ladies 16-20 yrs Kumite freestyle fighting champion. 

Leanne’s next International event will be the World Championships, which are being held in Italy this month and the European Championships, which will be held in Portugal in November.

Leeanne is hoping to add to her previous two gold medals and a bronze at the World and European championships. The Corduff Karate Club is now recruiting new members. For inquiries, email [email protected] or contact the club on Facebook.