Dunmow TKD not only picked up medals but they now have world champions in their midst.
Taekwon-Do International hosted the 2023 World Championships at the Coventry Skydome Arena with more than 2,000 competitors from 15 countries competing over the three days.
This was the first World Championships to be held since Dunmow TKD were founded in January 2020 and instructors Matt and Cheryl Howard took 15 students to compete in patterns, sparring and team events.
The standard was incredibly high but they achieved a medal in individual patterns with Ruby Pegrum (14) getting silver in the youth girls' red belt division.
Ryan Potma (11) narrowly missed out on bronze in the boys' green belt group.
The club have a proud record of medalling in sparring at every national competition entered and current British champion Alyse Dixon-Bellot (9) is now a world champion.
She won her gold in the last seconds of her final bout after coming from behind.
Pegrum added a bronze to her silver in the middleweight division and Oliver Snell (14), at only his second ever competition, got silver in the youth boys' yellow belt.
Potma bounced back from his patterns disappointment to win bronze in his division, the same prize as Isla Maguire (11) managed in the girls' blue belt lightweight group.
In team events Dixon-Bellot got gold again in the tag sparring as did Snell while Maguire, Sasha Polykoff (10) and Ariella Dixon-Bellot (10) all picked up silvers.
The club’s two youngest competitors Anish Malladi (8) and Charlie Jones (8) came away with bronze in their event as did the club's only adult competitor, Becky Benfield-Humberstone (39).
Other students who competed but did not medal were Isla Bird (10), Evie Dolan (14), Amelie Maguire (13), Daisy Humberstone (11) and Maddie Davenport-Handley (17).
The latter is the club’s sole black belt had some gruelling fights.
Instructor Matt Howard said: "For our club to have a world champion is something Cheryl and I only dreamed of.
"This was the best organised and hardest competition we have ever attended. To get our first ever medal in Patterns as well was just phenomenal and is a testament to the hard work put in by our students.
"We aim to build on this in the years to come."
Dunmow TKD run classes 5 times a week and can be found at dunmowtkd.co.uk or Facebook @dunmowtkd
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