West Karate Club take medals at World Open Karate Championships
THREE Galway teenagers from West Karate Club took the IJKA World Open Karate Championships in Bulgaria by storm when they took home a combined total of eight medals on their first visit to the prestigious tournament recently.
Jonathan Larder (19), Rebecca Palmer (18) and Craig Dempsey (19) formed the Irish team that took home the silver medal in the senior mixed kata event while Larder and Dempsey were also part of the five-man Irish team that won silver in the kumite discipline at the World Championships.
In addition, Larder (Carnmore) and Dempsey (Mervue) secured bronze with the senior men’s kata team while Coolough Road native Palmer put in a fine display to win bronze in the U-21 ladies individual kata. The 18-year-old was also unlucky to feature just outside the podium finishes in the senior ladies kata.
It was quite a medal haul for West Karate on the World stage considering the club was just set up in September 2009 by Brendan O’Flaherty, who, as coach, was presented with the senior mixed team kata runners-up trophy.
Already this year, the trio have won a plethora of individual and team titles in the kata discipline at national level and, indeed, have dominated in the code up through the various age groups from their childhood years.
In all, the Irish karate team came home with two new World champions – in Brian Toomey (masters’ kata category) and Martin Sheehan (senior men’s heavyweight and the open weight kumite divisions) – and no less than 20 medals.