Bringin’ the bling to Mid Ulster

Students from Mid Ulster are celebrating following their roaring success at the 2023 European Open ITF Taekwon-Do Championships, held recently in Lisburn.

Competitors from Northern Ireland were awarded more medals than any other country, with 128 medals, while Scotland was in close second place with 114 medals.

A quarter of all the golds and silvers won by Northern Ireland have come home to Mid Ulster.

Students competed in various categories over the two-day event, including individual patterns, sparring, special techniques and power.

Medals were awarded in divisions according to the age, rank, height and weight of the competitors.

Twelve local Taekwon-Do practitioners won a total of 11 gold, nine silver and eight bronze medals between them.

Meanwhile, support from local businesses contributed to the event’s success.

Chief Taekwon-Do instructor for the area and President for Northern Ireland ITF, Mr Leo Maguire said that Mid Ulster students have ‘done the country proud’.

“I am delighted for all of the students that were able to shine at the European Championships,” he said. “The achievements of the guys and girls from Mid Ulster is a testament to their dedication and commitment to their training.

“Some of the youngsters are attending three or four classes every week, and were training for, maybe, 15-20 hours a week in the lead-up to the competition.

“They have done Mid Ulster and the country proud,” he said.

“The sponsorship and support we received from local businesses such as Lanoc Web Design and WTS-O&M Ltd and High Roads was vital in making this such a successful competition.”

Mr Maguire, a sixth degree black belt, is also the Northern Ireland National Coach and runs bi-monthly team training sessions for the Northern Ireland squad.

Many of the Mid-Ulster students attend these sessions, as well as their regular classes held in Dungannon, Cookstown, Magherafelt and Maghera.

Two local families, in particular, have invested a considerable amount of time and effort in Taekwon-Do training over the years.

The Mid Ulster students are now looking forward to further competitions in the autumn, including the ‘Northern Ireland Open’ being held in Lisburn in September.

For those interested in trying Taekwon-Do, classes are available in Cookstown and Dungannon Leisure Centres, Magherafelt Parish Centre or The Lurach Centre, Maghera.

A free trial class is available and can be booked through the UKTC NI website at ‘www.taekwondo-ni.co.uk’.

Any businesses that may be interested in sponsoring future events held in Northern Ireland, or local students attending events in other countries should contact Leo Maguire on 07891191494 or email ‘taekwondoni@msn.com’.