2007
A winning culture is established for Central TKD Academy
A six-strong team from Central TKD Academy returned from the British Championship with a total of four medals including two gold and two bronze.
It was yet another exciting opportunity to watch some of Central’s best fighters showcasing their talent. All of our players competed on the second day of the event held in Manchester in what was probably the best run British Championship of recent years. However, despite the good venue and the high number of international referees
the event was not free of controversial decisions, some of which affected Alan and Lesley.
They both played very good games and should have been through to the final of their weight groups. Lesley had three faultless rounds during the -47 Kg semi-final against a current member of the British national team. She chased her opponent from end to end and managed to outsmart her in many cases yet the judges kept giving points to Lesley’s opponents for kicks landing on Lesley’s arms. The final score was 9-8 against Lesley whilst Alan lost on golden point in the -62 Kg semi-final, a game that simply would not have gone to the fourth round if it was not for a crucial error made by the central referee.
Chris West competed for the first time in the -55 Kg junior division and having already won a British Championship title as a cadet he wanted to repeat the feat in a harder group. He was unlucky to draw the eventual winner in his first fight. Overall, Chris had a good and very promising performance against a much more experienced opponent who has been competing at international level for several years. Chris showed he is able to play a smart game
and with more practice he can become one of Britain’s Champions in the junior divisions.
Kam Dogra returned to the British Championship after almost ten years of absence. In his comeback game he
chose to represent Central fighting in the same group with Alan (-62 Kg). His game was solid and he managed to force his opponent to work very hard for all his points.
Ross Eden fought in the -68 Kg junior division were he had no problem brushing aside all of his opponents finishing each game with a seven-point gap. Ross is now the reigning British Champion and his name is added to an ever-growing list of British Champions from the Central TKD Academy. By having established himself as the UK’s best in his division Ross can now focus on achieving similar results at International level.
Craig fought in the -67 Kg senior division despite being still eligible to fight as a junior. His performances were consistent and showed he learned a great deal from his experiences at the major International events last year.
He outclassed his opponents and reached the final in what was the last game of the day and therefore watched
by everyone in the venue. There he faced a current full-time member of the British National team who represented the UK in the recent World Olympic Qualification event. We knew that his opponent would have some decisions his way, especially after seeing what happened to Lesley and Alan, so it was important that Craig performed his best and more. This is exactly what happened, Craig stayed focused and determined. He outperformed his opponent
and forced the game to an early stoppage having reached the 12point ceiling first. Craig is now the senior -67 Kg British Champion!
Craig has had many good results in recent times but this title will always be one of the most important of his TKD career. As a newcomer he beat convincingly the fighter who was ranked number one seed prior to the event. The same person who gets funded to train full-time and is guided by three full-time national team coaches plus the support team of physiotherapists, nutritionists, and performance analysts. Craig showed to the rest of the UK that our team is a team of Champions able to rise to any challenge.
The Central TKD Academy has proved beyond any doubt that our results are a product of a winning culture. What Lesley, Alan, and Craig have achieved so far in the senior divisions is also due to their tenacity, integrity, and indomitable spirit. We are looking forwards to seeing more of our talented athletes coming through the ranks to
win more titles for our great team and continue Central’s tradition of excellence.
Central’s Kyorugi Team achieves perfect score at the 6 th Scottish Open
A five-strong team from Central TKD Academy participated at the 6th Scottish Open, held last weekend in Clydebank. The event was organised by BTCB Scotland in association with Mr Craig Gibson’s Scorpions TKD club
and was sponsored by Daedo ® International. Overall it was a well-organized event and was attended by teams from all over Scotland, England and Ireland.
Our five representatives returned with a perfect score having won a gold medal each!
The players who competed for Central TKD Academy were:
Jenna Adams
Craig Eden
Ross Eden
Chris West
Nicholas Craig
Although everyone did great a special mention should go to Ross and Chris for their efforts during the day. Ross had to win three fights before finishing first. During each fight he put on a good display of tactical skill coupled with some crowd pleasing moves that made him one of the favourite fighters of the event. He out-skilled and out-performed each and every of his opponents and showed that he does have what it takes to become the best fighter in his division in the UK.
For Chris this was the first open tournament he entered after a long break out of training due to illness. Nevertheless, the current cadet British Champion proved he has not lost his winner instinct. He needed to win two fights to win his gold and he managed to do exactly that despite fighting a much older and taller opponent in the final.
Central’s reigning fin weight champion secures sponsorship from PhysioFocus
Having won three British Championship titles and numerous medals from international events, Lesley Jakubiak has established herself as the
most successful Olympic Taekwondo (TKD) athlete in Scotland. Lesley is the reigning Fin weight champion of the UK and has committed herself
to expanding her medal cabinet by aiming to bring in more prestigious titlHaving won three British Championship titles and numerous medals from international events, Lesley Jakubiak has established herself as
the most successful Olympic Taekwondo (TKD) athlete in Scotland.
Lesley is the reigning Fin weight champion of the UK and has committed herself to expanding her medal cabinet by aiming to bring in more prestigious titles during this season. Lesley is pictured left with David Bowmaker.
PhysioFocus Ltd will be Lesley’s main sponsor for the 2007/08 season after a deal offered by David Bowmaker (Chartered Physiotherapist) and Seonaid Airth (Chartered Physiotherapist) co-owners of the physiotherapy clinic located just off the M9 in Stirling.
“The training regimen I follow can, at times, be very demanding on my body and frequent treatment from a physiotherapist will help me prevent injuries, whilst also assisting me to improve my physical performance by showing me ways to improve the range of movement in my joints.
“A physiotherapist is an integral member of any fighter’s support group. I am very excited to have this opportunity to work with such an experienced team of physiotherapists and this has given me a further boost in confidence.”
David Bowmaker commented: “We are very happy to be able to help an athlete like Lesley who trains and
performs at the highest level and sets precedence for Scottish Olympic TKD successes.”
This sponsorship is the first secured by a member of Central’s Olympic TKD competition team and to our knowledge is also the first for a Scottish fighter in Olympic TKD.
PhysioFocus Ltd is a physiotherapy clinic situated at Brucefields Golf Centre in Stirling. The clinic has a great reputation amongst Scotland’s elite athletes and coaches, from a wide range of sports. PhysioFocus Ltd boasts a team of highly qualified professionals who strive to understand individual sporting needs and provide their clients with the best advice possible to assist them in maximising their performance.
For more information about PhysioFocus Ltd and the services available visit their website at http://www.physiofocus.com/contact.html .
Lesley in action at the
German International Open in Bonn
Dutch Open 2007
Craig(red) in action against member of
oooooooooooooooooooooLesley and Nikos talk tactics
Nat team Spain
Lesley(red) stopping the World champoooooooooooooooooooooooooCraig(red) in action
with a back kick
The hall at the Dutch Open
Bishopbriggs Competition 2007
Hassan(in red)