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The International TaeKwon-Do Federation hosted the World Championships in Amsterdam last week with two out of the five Irish Gold Medal recipients from the Cathal Fegan Schools of TaeKwon-Do based in Newry and Silverbridge. Another of their team also took home Bronze.
The world champions were Rachael Carvill, Captain of the Irish U18 Girls Team who took Gold in Junior Female Hyper Weight Sparring and Ethan O'Kane, Captain of the Irish U18 boys team who took Gold in Junior Male Light Weight Sparring.
Silverbridge woman, Aoife Loye, Captain of the Irish Womens Team also took a Bronze Medal in the Championships.
Rachael from Mayobridge also plays U14 football for Mayobridge GAC and the club and her sponsor Airtastic literally moved mountains to help facilitate her training, moving matches and training times.
Explaining how it felt getting the medal she said "It was class. You don't even realise how it feels like until it happens, it was so good." She is already aiming for another gold in the World Championships in 3 years time!
Ethan from Hilltown believes all the help from the Newry Club paid off and winning the medal had him stuck for words. "I was speechless. I worked really hard. I had all the help from CFTKD, all the students and instructors helping me. It really paid off and felt really good." he said.
Out of the Irish team of 58 in Amsterdam 10 came from the Cathal Fegan Schools of TaeKwon-Do, 6 from Newry and 4 from Silverbridge. There are about 150 students across both clubs and beginner classes are held throughout the year.
Over the last 15 years they have won 17 World Champions, including this weeks additions but these two were their first ITF Black Belt Junior World Championship Medals.
Explaining the Club's motivation Fegan said "Four years ago we came back from the World Championships and Aoife showed her medal and I said, this is your motivation guys, and four years later Ethan and Rachael are sitting here with Gold Medals."
Rachael was there that day and wore the medal and as her parents explained 'she wanted it'
The other three members of the Irish Team who brought home Gold were James Dwyer, World Champion in Senior Male Heavyweight Sparring; Paul Manning, World Champion in Senior Male Welter Weight Sparring and Christian McCabe, World Champion in Pre Junior Male Light Weight Sparring.
With the European Championships in 2023 in Belfast and the World Championships in 2025, no one would bet against the Newry and Silverbridge based Club making many more appearances on the winners podium.
