Local karate star Levi Kane along with three local team-mates, Rachael Fleming, Jordan Lewis and Lucy Ouldfield have just returned from the IKU World Junior Karate Championships in Carole, Venice with four world bronze medals.
Levi who has been training in her local club at Carnalea for almost fifteen years was over the moon with her medal, narrowly beaten in the final of the Wado-Ryu kata event by two very talented Italian competitors. Coach David Brashaw commented “Levi has always had potential and now it’s definitely showing at the highest level.”
Rachael Fleming from Bangor also was delighted with her kata medal. Her parents added it was amazing and they were so proud. For Jordan and Lucy, who both attend Regent House Grammar School in Newtownards it could not have been much better as they both medaled in kumite (sparring).
The four were joined in the sixteen athlete Northern Ireland squad by Lewis Watton, from Glastry and Craig Brashaw from Newtownards. Both of them fought extremely well, and both made their individual kata final with Craig coming a very good fourth place.
In addition the rest of the Northern Ireland team lifted a further five medals as follows:
Dermott McFeely, – Gold (Kata), Grace Conway – Silver, Patrick Gormley – Silver, Erin Kerrigan – Bronze and Morgan Hughes – Bronze.
Coach Brashaw added “This IKU World Championship was a fantastic event attracting approximately 1000 competitors from around the world to the wonderful setting of Carole, Venice. It is a fantastic achievement for Northern Ireland, much to be proud of. Our team excelled. I cannot fault any performance, the preparation by our coaches and the support from families. To have four world junior medals coming back between our Scrabo and Carnalea clubs is stunning”
