Manx Tigers Taekwondo club claimed a fine third place in the poomsae (forms) competition at the 9th Scottish Open International, alongside an overall haul of 19 individual, pairs and team medals from the weekend.
The event in Glasgow involved both poomsae and kyorugi (sparring), with the Tigers sending a 17-strong team for the two days of competitions at the Bellahouston Sports Centre.
The poomsae medal winners in their respective categories who helped the club to overall bronze were:
• Leah Morley – Gold
• Simon Comer - Gold
• Dolly Suico - Gold
• Ryan Coates - Gold
• Lisa Meads - Silver
• Hannah Doyle - Silver
• Richard Halsall - Bronze
• Sofia Suico – Bronze
There were also the following team medals in their poomsae categories:
• Richard Halsall , Sean Leonard and Simon Comer – Gold
• Ryan Coates, Liam Savage and William Comer - Gold
• Lisa Meads, Gilly Doyle and Siobhan Leonard - Silver
There was also a Gold Medal for Dolly Suico and Simon Comer in the pairs.
Poomsae coach Lisa Meads said: ‘The poomsae division was hotly contested, with nearly 200 competitors, and it was a great overall performance. We have won this division in the past, but this year we were beaten to gold by the formidable London Taekwondo Academy, led by ex-GB competitor Master Dildar, and the impressive national team of Iceland, which took silver.
‘LTA is the strongest group of clubs in London, and Manx Tigers’ Katie Meads trains with them while at university. The Scottish Open has been a highlight in our calendar for several years and it was great to compete there with Katie, who competed for LTA’s Warriors team, and the Isle of Man’s Sean and Siobhan Leonard, who also travelled up from university.’
In the Olympic sparring, Manx Tigers entered a smaller team of mainly novices.
The medal winners in their respective categories were:
• Gilly Doyle – Silver
• Liam Savage – Bronze
• Joseph Savage – Bronze
• Ryan Coates – Bronze
• Erin Halsall – Bronze
• Simon Comer – Bronze
• Hannah Doyle – Bronze
Kyorugi coach Richard Halsall said: ‘While we didn’t pick up the gold medals the club has won at previous Scottish Opens, it proved to be a valuable learning experience, particularly for first time fighters Erin, who is five, Joseph, aged seven, Liam, nine, and 11-year-old Ryan.
‘Veteran fighters Simon Comer and Gillian Doyle both claimed medals after losing to more experienced fighters, while 14-year-old cadet Hannah put in a sterling performance with an incredible 39-point victory over a fighter from Manchester Sport Taekwondo.
‘The club would like to thank the organisers of the Scottish Open for yet another superb event, and the parents of our younger competitors for their continued support - and of course the commitment shown by everyone who competed for the club.’
Manx Tigers trains five days a week at its own Dojang in Pulrose, and has three sister clubs - Southern Vikings in Ballabeg, Tynwald Vikings in St John’s and Manx Vikings in Peel. All four clubs are affiliated with the Isle of Man Taekwondo Association, a non-profit making organisation set up to promote the teaching and development of the Olympic sport in the Island, which is a member nation of the World Taekwondo Federation.
To find out more about the Tigers, email iomtkd@hotmail.co.uk or text 432152.
