Argus, May 2004
Co. Louth Karate Students Selected For Irish Team.
Five students from Co. Louth’s I.W.K.R. have been selected to represent Ireland at the at the WKF World Games 2004, which will be held in Italy this coming weekend. The five students would like to thank their coach Sensei Tommy Marrett for his dedication to their training and National Head Coach, Sensei Fran Nangle, for their honoured selection onto the Irish team.
David O’ Donnell has been selected to represent our country at senior level. Tracey Marrett, sisters Catherine and Clara O’ Reilly, and Niamh O’ Reilly have all been selected onto the junior squad.
David joined the I.W.K.R. nine years ago. He has progressed
up to brown belt. David has constantly proved to be a committed and
disciplined club member. This is reflected in his many achievements
over the last year in national and international competitions. His recent
successes include 1st the North West Open Championship in Belfast, 1st
in the Carlow Karate Tournament and 1st in the Irish National Wadokai
Championships.
Due to his highly competitive standards, David has been selected (with
only seven other adults nation wide) to represent Ireland in the WKF
World Games.
Tracey (13) has been involved in karate for eight years. She now has shelves full of trophies, won at national and international level. Among these are two WKO World Championships medals. Recently Tracey took home a gold for kumite (sparing) and a silver for kata from the National championships. Tracey took two gold in kata and a silver in the kumite events in the North East karate Championships. Tracey took two gold in kata events in the Irish Open Championships in Roadstone.
Catherine (12) and Clara (11) O’Reilly are both students of St Oliver Plunkett’s Blackrock. The girls joined the I.W.K.R.six years ago. Their love and dedication of Martial Arts is transparent through their enthusiasm both to training three times weekly and at National Squad Training monthly. Their recent winning form and steady track record has lead to their selection both in Kumite and Kata and team Kata, which they perform with Tracey Marrett. The trio hold a solid record of 1st in this area. They have competed both Nationally and Internationally. Clara holds ‘World Champion Title 2002 WKF under 10’s, British Champion WKF, Five Nations Champion WKF, North-East Champion WKF 2003 in Kumite. Catherine a strong contender holds North-East Champion WKC 2002/04, and North West Champion 2004 WKF/WKC under 15’s in both Kumite and Kata. The girls are looking forward to meeting new challenges, making new friends, and being a competitor on the Irish Team.
Niamh (9) is the youngest person on the Irish team. She has been involved in karate for six years. Niamh is heading off to Italy on the back of some great competition results. She is un-defeated in WKF kumite this year. She has only been defeated once this year in WKF kata, having been narrowly beaten for gold by a Scottish competitor in Belfast last January. Among Niamh’s top karate achievements to date include being placed second in the under 10 kumite section of the World WKO Championships in 2002 (achieved when she was only seven years old) and second in the under 15 kata section of the British WKF Championships last year.
Club members who are selected to compete for Ireland in the World Youth
Games in Italy next weekend.
Back Row: Tracey Marrett, David O’ Donnell and Catherine O’
Reilly.
Front Row: Niamh O’ Reilly and Clara O’ Reilly
