Sports school established in Akomu wins 39 medals at world championships

29 athletes from X Martial Arts Schools have qualified to represent England at the 2024 World Karate and Kickboxing Commission Championships (WKC), to be held in Albufeira, Portugal from 26 October to 1 November. did.

The athletes took home 13 gold medals, 15 silver medals, and 11 bronze medals.

Father-son team members Ruben and Chris Burnham with coach Jay Spain (Image: Provided) Everything is filmed in sport karate, with each attack scored by three judges and success determined by timing and speed. Everything is done within the framework of traditional karate concepts.

Luke Birks, who founded the school in 2013 at the age of 20, said: “Previously, the maximum size for a world champion squad was 14 players, but this is the largest team ever.

“We usually do pretty well, but this year was definitely the best.

“We made qualification for the World Championship team an official program at the school and members signed up for it and agreed what they were committing to and the additional training sessions they would have to attend.

“The medal is a reward for that extra effort, that extra dedication, and it’s also a reward for the instructors.

“A few years ago we had a completely new team, but now we have more experience, we have grown up a bit and we are not so new to the competitive scene.

“We had some members of the team competing in international competition for the first time, and they really rose to the occasion.”

TEAM X athlete James Ledgard wins two gold medals at the 2024 World Championships (Image: Provided) When asked about this last point, Luke said: “I think a special mention should go to Lucas Riddle, a 15-year-old from Clifton Moor.

“He was very dedicated and played in the WKC for the first time in 2022, but lost in the final.

“That created a real hunger in his heart and this year he took part in the most training sessions, put in the most time and practiced on his bike in all weather conditions.

“He won the gold medal and is undefeated this year.”

Lucas Riddle (centre) with coaches Cole Rochester and Luke Burks (Image: Supplied) Luke said highlights of the training program include outdoor fitness work and a 6am start each week.

He said: “There have been some very intense sessions over the last few months.

“We don't just train the athletes' physical level, we test their mental strength and toughness in early morning sessions, we test them in the cold, dark and rain, and they have work shifts after the sessions. We will test the players.''

X Martial Arts Schools has centers in Aycomb, Malton, Harrogate, Leeds, Ossett and Sheffield, and Luke confirmed none of the players are sponsored. That means participation in the week-long world championships was either self-funded or donated.

Luke said qualification for the 2025 WKC World Championships in Niagara will begin in March after wrapping up the competition year with a competition weekend in Newcastle.