Well done and congratulations to Jadzia Murphy and Shauna Flynn who travelled to the karate IMAF European championships in the Netherlands.

Jadzia Murphy and Shauna Flynn travelled to the karate IMAF European championships in the Netherlands with the Irish team. The competition was held in Landgraaf, in the south of the Netherlands. They spent all day Thursday travelling and Friday sightseeing in the nearby town, Maastricht.

The next two days consisted of competing. The competition started off with an opening ceremony, there were teams from Romania, Poland, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, Belgium and more.

On the Saturday, Shauna competed in both Kata and Kumite.  Kata are forms consisting of specific movements. Kumite is free sparring or fighting. Shauna received silver in the black belt women’s Kata division and bronze in her Kumite division.

On the Sunday both Shauna and Jadzia competed in Kobudo. While both girls gave their best efforts, they were unlucky and missed out on the podium. The Irish team came home with 14 medals in total, 4 medals in Kumite, 4 in Kata, 1 in weapons Kata and 5 in sport Kenjutsu.

It was a very well-run competition and a barbecue was held on the Saturday night for all competitors. They spent Monday skiing, outdoor climbing and zip lining. Over all it was a great experience and it was highly enjoyed by all.