On the 30th of April I competed inthe Tae Kwon Do P.U.M.A World Championships, in Swindon England. There were alot of countries competing. All the clubs from Ireland and other countries arrived Friday at our hotel in Swindon. When we arrived all competitors had to weigh in to make sure they would be placed in the right category for the competition the next day. I was in the flyweight under 14 Junior Blackbelt category for sparring and Junior Blackbelt under 14 category for the Tul patterns competition. We then had dinner and relaxed for the rest of the day.
The next morning we got up early and went to the competition venue. I was a bit nervous. We all went to our different areas and soon the competition started with a fabulous demonstration show. After this the different competitions began. Our category was one of the first to start. The Tul pattern competition was first. I had to compete against other people to show different types of moves in set patterns. I reached the final and won Gold. I was so happy. Later on we were awarded our medals and I stood on the podium with the Irish flag around my shoulders.
Next came the sparring, my favourite. There were alot in our category. I started my fights good and won all of them to reach the semi finals. Now I was competing against a girl from England. The fight began, but soon after I got injured and had to stop the fight. I was very disappointed we had to stop. I came third and got a Bronze medal. Later on we were awarded our medals. I was so happy to reach that far and all my family were so proud. We stayed at the competition for the rest of the day to watch the other competitors and again the next day to watch and support all our senior competitors of TKD Ireland. On Sunday night we all went home. It was a brillant weekend.
by Rebecca McGrath