Record success for Irish team at Euro championships

THE Irish tae kwon do team has returned from the European Championships in Slovakia with a record haul of eight gold, five silver and eight bronze medals. This was the best performance ever by an Irish tae kwon do team and led to the team being placed in second place overall at the championships, losing out to Poland. Thirty countries competed with 485 competitors participating.
Several Clare competitors were part of the Irish squad. These included Adrian Byrne, Shannon tae kwon do Club instructor, who is a member of the national coaching panel; Stephen Ryan, Quin tae kwon do Club instructor, currently ranked as the world number two in the senior men’s division; Laura Cullen, Quin, who won two bronze medals, one for individual III Dan patterns and one as part of the ladies’ team for sparring; Nicole Moriarty, Quin, who took home a gold medal as part of the junior ladies’ team; Jamie Williams, Shannon, who took home silver as part of the junior boys’ team; Leanne Egan from Shannon won a bronze medal as part of the senior ladies’ team for sparring and Jamie Rigney, instructor in Ballyea Tae Kwon Do Club,  competed in the senior men’s team events and individual power breaking. Stephen Ryan was unlucky on this occasion to meet his rival, Jarek Suska from Poland, the current world champion, in Round 2 and narrowly lost out, with Suska going on to take the title. The Irish ladies did particularly well at this event and all three of the Clare ladies medalled, each competing in their first European Championships. As coach to the national team, Adrian Byrne was particularly proud of the Irish squad and that their hard work in preparation for the event paid off.
Next up for the Clare competitors are selections for the 2012 European Championships, which take place next April in Maribor, Slovenia. The selections for individual places take place in the University of Limerick Arena on November 19 and 20 where the Irish Tae Kwon Do Association holds the Irish Cup. This event is open to the public and is a fantastic opportunity to see Ireland’s best Tae Kwon Do Athletes in action, for more information, visit www.taekwondo.ie.