Courtney shows a golden touch

From the archive, first published Tuesday 24th Apr 2007.

Karate student Courtney Rivers-Gallagher has struck gold in her first competition.

The eight-year-old, who has been training for two years at Bradford Shotokan Academy, won the under-nine freestyle (fighting) at the Chojinkai Children's Championships at Penrith Leisure Centre in Cumbria.

Courtney, a pupil at Foxhill Primary School, Queensbury, who trains twice a week at the academy, was also third in the under-nine kata.

Her instructor, Sixth Dan Fred Fawcett, said: "Courtney's progress is a perfect example of what can be achieved in a short space of time - all credit to her."

Ilkley Karate Club sent 12 youngsters to the same championships, which attracted well over 300 competitors from all over the country, who also came back with medals.

Ellie Field, their current club champion, was outstanding in all of her events, taking a bronze medal in the mixed green to purple belt kata.

Ilkley's team, which included Ellie and seven-year-olds Joshua Boon and Jake Field, Ellie's brother, were runners-up in the team kata on their debut as a threesome.

They impressed the judges with their performance and timing.

In the free-fighting, Ellie Field made it a hat-trick of medals by taking a bronze in the girls' eight-to-nine-years category, despite being up against bigger opponents.

Jake added to the family's haul of silverware with a bronze in the boys' open-grade six to seven years' free-fighting section.

Nine-year-old brown belts Jamie Hennessey and Max Taylor made promising starts in the black and brown belt kata division, both making it through the first two rounds.

Max reached the final stages of the cadet senior grade category, winning a bronze, and seven-year-old Bridget Taylor also came third in the girls' under-eight years' open-grade free-fighting event.

To complete Ilkley's medal haul, nine-year-old Connor Thatcher took a well-deserved silver medal in the boys' brown and black belt free-fighting, with only one point separating the finalists in a bout that had the spectators cheering.

Overall, Ilkley members won four silvers and five bronzes, an impressive haul from a small club competing against larger rivals.

Fellow Ilkley competitors Rose Blackburne, seven, Sam Simons, eight, Matthew Ginty, ten, and Jake Moore, eight, also did well on the day.