Members of the North West Shotokan Karate Club traveled as part of the national WUKF Ireland karate squad to Cluj, Romania, for recent the WUKF (World Union of Karate-Do Federation) World Championships.
The squad was led by Mandy McNulty, Chief Instructor, who is also a member of the World Referee Commission and Chairperson of the Inclusive Commission.
She was joined by Head Coach Ethan O’Donnell, who also competed alongside fellow club members Caitlin Sweeney, Zara Thompson, and Lucas O’Donnell.
On Thursday, Head Coach Ethan kickstarted the medal tally by taking home bronze in his individual fighting event in the under-75kg veterans category.
On Friday, Zara, Lucas, and Caitlin competed in their respective individual and team events. Lucas won bronze in the U18 under-65kg individual fighting, followed by Caitlin, who fought her way to the final in the U21 under-55kg event to win a silver medal in the process.
Zara and Caitlin then joined the Irish Female Rotation Team, winning through some very tough rounds to beat England in the final, claiming a well-deserved gold medal and the title of World Champions. Not to be outdone, Lucas joined the Irish Male Rotation Team, who also fought brilliantly through the rounds before defeating England in the final, bringing another gold medal back to the North West.
Congratulations to Mandy, who was re-elected to the World Referee Commission to serve another term, where she will continue to promote and maintain the highest standards in karate.
