Cork produces best club and top competitors at Total Taekwondo Championships

THE Total Taekwondo Championships at Neptune Stadium drew 600 competitors from all over the country. 

Cork took gold in all of the adult black belt sparring sections.

Alex McCarthy from the Farranree club won the lightweight division, beating Odin McNulty from West Clare, Paul Leavitt from Charleville, and Eoin McDonald from IUTF Ballybunion and Lixnaw.

It was an all-Blackrock final for the middleweight section, with instructor Paul Manning facing one of his best students David O’Donoghue for the deciding fight, with experience just about topping youth. 

And it was Blackrock once again with Josh Byrne taking gold in the heavyweight division.

In the female black belt categories, it was an all-Midleton final this time for the lightweight section, with Ciara Beirne and Natalia Hefkaluk battling it out, Ciara winning the gold. And it was a Blackrock versus Mahon final in the middleweight division, with Amy Sullivan from Blackrock winning gold against Kelly Walsh from Mahon’s Cork ITF.

The 600 fighters were of all belts and ages, from five-year-old white belts to 50-year-old black belts, ranging from Tkd Ninja Martial Arts Games to an Adaptive Taekwondo division for competitors with additional needs.

There was sparring, patterns, and there was blood, sweat, and tears. There were close fights, there were champions, and there were the four best competitors; all four of them from Cork. Best Male Competitor was Paul Manning from Blackrock Taekwondo Club, winning gold in both his divisions. Paul is also the current ITF Senior Welter Weight World Champion, taking gold in the Netherlands in 2022.

Best Female Competitor was Amy Sullivan, also from Blackrock Taekwondo Club, and Amy was also selected to fight on the Irish Team in the 2022 World Championships, winning four bronze medals for Ireland.

Best Junior Male Competitor and Best Junior Female Competitor then were twin winners, Emily O’Polo and Jordan O’Polo, from Midleton Taekwondo Club, winning double gold in both their sections.

INCREDIBLE

Both fighters are currently celebrating a string of wins, having won an incredible 28 gold medals between them from eight different tournaments over the past 12 months.

Staying in Midleton, there was one final award at this competition and that was for best club. 

Neptune hosted over 40 clubs for the 2023 Total Taekwondo Championships, one half travelling from a range of different counties – Athlone, Carlow, Clare, Dublin, Galway, Kerry, Limerick, Tipperary, Waterford, Wexford, and Wicklow – and the other half were from right here in Cork.

There were clubs from Ballincollig, Bandon, Belgooly, Blarney, Carrigaline, Charleville, Crosshaven, Mallow, Mitchelstown, Passage West, Togher, Turner’s Cross, UCC, Wilton, and Youghal. However, Midleton came out on top. The award for Best Club stayed right here in Cork.