Clare heroes to compete in Argentina

SIX Clare tae kwon do competitors will be jetting to Argentina at the end of the month where they will attend the Tae kwon do World Championships as part of the national team.
The world championships, which will take place in Mar Del Plata, Argentina, will be attended by elite athletes from all over the world. Selection for this event is a particular honour as only one representative per country is allowed to compete in each event. This ensures that the  championships showcase only the very best from each country and from around the world.
Among those selected from the Banner county are Stephen Ryan (Quin Tae kwon do Club); Adrian Byrne (Shannon Tae kwon do Club); Jamie Rigney (Ballyea Tae kwon do Club) and Daniel Dillon (Shannon Tae kwon do Club) who make up four of the five-man senior male team. Representing Ireland at junior level will be David Lynch and Louise McCagh (both Shannon Tae kwon do Club).
Speaking about this year’s hopeful, coach and competitor Adrian Byrne, said that the Irish team will be hoping to secure a very special win at this year’s world cup.
“I suppose the main thing we will be hoping for is the team pattern, as we  won the gold at the European Championships in Spain earlier this year.
“Ireland has won the gold before at the World Championships but no one team has ever won both in one year so we’re hoping that if we can maintain our performance that we can do that,” Adrian said. 
Also hoping to make waves at the World Cup is 17-year-old Louise McCagh, who, according to Adrian, is the most promising junior female.
“She has the potential in two events, the individual sparring under 60 kilos and the high-jumping event known as the special technique. Louise won gold at the World Cup in Italy last year for the special technique so she will be trying to keep her title,” he added.
Adrian said that the martial artists being produced in Clare are so strong due to a number of factors, not least the fact that there has been two tae kwon do clubs in existence consistently in both Shannon and Ennis for the last 25 years.
“Clare has six clubs and what’s unusual is that Stephen, Jamie and I are all international competitors that are now coaching. Stephen is also graduate in physical education and I’ve a degree in sport and exercise science so we can approach this with a slightly different perspective. Like most sports, it is clustered and there are strong clusters in Clare, Cork and Dublin, which make up most of the national team,” he added.
In total, there are 28 Irish tae kwon do competitors travelling to the World Cup and, according to Adrian, of the 13 senior competitors travelling, an impressive four come from Clare.
Meanwhile, Stephen Ryan explains that the Clare contingent of the national team is confident of success at the event after coming through an arduous four-month selection process.
He added that tae kwon do in Ireland is a non-funded sport, even though the Irish Tae kwon do Association is fully recognised by the Irish Sports Council. This means that the competitors are completely self-funded and are in need of funding and sponsorship at an individual or corporate level.
Anyone interested in getting involved in such a capacity can contact Stephen Ryan by e-mail stephen@quintkd.ie or phone 086 304 9267.
The team will set off on November 22 for the World Cup and it is expected that they will know their fate by November 30 in the majority of the competitions.
Those interested in keeping up to date with the progress of the Irish Team can visit the website of the Irish Tae kwon do Association www.taekwondo.ie or the official website of the World Championships www.tkd-itfargentina2009.com where you can subscribe to a live TV broadcast of the event.