Six of Blue Dragon’s finest made the long journey to Berkshire for a weekend of competition at the UK ITF British Championships 2010, held over Saturday 9th, and Sunday 10th October at the Rivermead Leisure Centre, Reading.
With a total of 769 competitors battling it out for the ultimate prize a Gold Medal and the chance to call themselves “British Champion”, this was the largest event of its kind in Europe and the only ITF Sanctioned Tournament of the year in the UK.
Leading from the front was club Chief Instructor Mr Al. Walkinshaw winning our first Gold in the Senior Male 3rd Degree Black Belt Patterns section, adding to the Gold he won at the Welsh Championships in February. Also fighting her way to yet another medal with the club’s second Gold of the day was young Emily Oakes, in the Cadet Female 6th-3rd Kup Sparring, coming back from several points down half way through the second round of the final to win comprehensively. Not to be outdone by her dad the UK’s youngest Female ITF 2nd Degree Black Belt, Lyndsay Walkinshaw won a very hard fought Silver in the Cadet Female Heavyweight Black Belt Sparring, and narrowly missed out on a Bronze in the Patterns section despite only having 2 weeks to learn and perfect the pattern following her grading on 25th September. Rounding up the medal winners was double Bronze medallist Andrew Cooper who won medals in both Senior Male Hyperweight Sparring and Senior Male 10th-7th Kup Patterns.
Also competing and doing exceedingly well, but desperately unlucky despite valiant efforts not to bring a medal home were young Harry Lowe, and club Secretary Paul Chrimes.
Full results and the official event report can be found on the Imperial Taekwon-Do Association website http://www.tkd.co.uk/articles.asp?arturn=1944
