Northern Ireland Championships April 2026

Northern Ireland Championships 🇮🇪

What a weekend for the team incredible performances across the board and a real statement from the club. The standard, the heart, and the progression shown by every single athlete was outstanding. This is what we train for

🥉 Blancka – Absolutely phenomenal. Blancka has been putting in serious work behind the scenes and it showed in a big way. She narrowly lost by the smallest of margins to the 2025 U17 national champion in the semi-final — a performance that could easily have gone either way. That level of competitiveness against the very best says everything. Her progression is rapid and this is just the beginning. Expect to see her on that podium again very soon.

🥉 Naomi – Outstanding performance from Naomi. She showed real class, confidence, and composure throughout the competition, stepping up and delivering under pressure. Bowing out in the semi-finals to a very strong Ukrainian opponent doesn’t take away from the level she performed at — she was right up there competing with the best. The quality, determination, and presence she showed on the mat was top level. A huge performance and a big statement.

🥇 Edward – Nothing short of warrior mentality. Competing with a broken thumb in a cast and still coming out on top is unbelievable. Edward showed grit, determination, and class — finishing by beating a top Ukrainian in the final. That’s champion mindset right there.

🥇🥇 Holly – Simply unstoppable. Holly remains undefeated this year and is setting the standard for everyone. Her work ethic, discipline, and focus are paying off in a big way. Double gold again in both individual and team — elite consistency.

🥇🥇 Norah – What a breakthrough moment! First gold medals in Ireland in both individual and team — and fully deserved. Norah has been putting in extra hours and it’s clearly paying off. Still relatively new to poomsae, but already making huge waves. The future is seriously bright here.

🥇 Jacob – Couldn’t be prouder. Jacob continues to improve every single session and it’s translating perfectly into competition. A fantastic performance and a well-earned gold. The progression is clear — and there’s plenty more to come.

🥉🥈 Julia – What a debut! No expectations in a first competition, but Julia didn’t just show up — she delivered. Third in individual and second in teams is an incredible start. Calm, confident, and full of potential. Huge future ahead.

QF Luca – Massive progress from Luca over the past few months. This was a very close contest against a strong Ukrainian opponent. Sometimes it doesn’t go your way — but the improvement is undeniable. No excuses, just motivation. We go again, stronger.

Northern Ireland Sparring

🥇 Ethan - Ethan had a great match against an aggressive Irish opponent. Ethan was composed and maintained a good work rate throughout the first round while working out his opponent. Heading into the second round we had a plan. Move and counter slowing the pace down and it worked a treat 2-0 🇬🇧 v 🇮🇪

🥇Patrick - Patrick’s game plan was pressure pressure pressure. Using aggression to overwhelm his opponent. 1st round point gap and stoppage. 1-0 🇬🇧 v 🇮🇪

🥇🥈Aaliyah - In her first fight, Aaliyah faced a tough challenge against an opponent nearly 10kg heavier. As a team, we don’t deal in excuses we focus on growth. Aaliyah rose to the occasion, delivering an excellent match against Ellie from Hwan Yeong, narrowly missing out on the win. Her second fight was a much more even matchup in terms of weight and height and it showed. Aaliyah executed her game plan with confidence, demonstrating strong control and composure. 1-2 🇬🇧 v 🇬🇧 | 2-0 🇬🇧 v 🇮🇪

🥈 Shahan - shahan

had a tough Irish opponent but showed perseverance. Not giving up. This was Shahan’s 2nd competition and the ring time and experience is what counts at this moment in time. Leading on from his first competition. Shahan got tired very fast. This time Shahan’s stamina was spot on. We keep working and that gold will be coming soon. 0-2 🇬🇧 v 🇮🇪