Family win ten medals at World Tang Soo Do Karate Championships in USA (From Gazette Series)

Family win ten medals at World Tang Soo Do Karate Championships in USA

11:17am Thursday 26th August 2010 in

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A FAMILY from Chipping Sodbury have achieved great success on the World stage.

Connor, William, Linda and Paul Townsley flew to the USA recently to compete in the World Tang Soo Do Karate Championships and returned with an impressive ten medals, including six gold medals.

After qualifying in previous competitions, the Townsley family went as part of the Great Britain Tang Soo Do team, which practices a traditional Korean style of karate.

The competition held at the Greensboro Coliseum in North Carolina, which consisted of over 1,600 competitors from approximately 32 countries. The youngest member of the family, William, who has only just turned 12 since the Championships, won three gold medals, which saw him take the title of Junior Grand Champion, having already been crowned National Grand Champion and European Grand Champion.

His brother Connor, 14, won one gold and one bronze medal and mother Linda, 43 won two bronze medals.

Paul Townsley, the family’s instructor, claimed two gold medals and one bronze and was also runner-up for Senior Male Grand Champion.

He said: "I am very proud of what we have achieved.

"A lot of time and effort went into preparing for this competition, but extra praise must go to William, the only member of the Great Britain team to be awarded special ‘Grand Champion’ recognition, by achieving a perfect first place in all three of his separate events in his age category.- outstanding."

"Although William was one of the smallest competitors in his category, he still battled his way to win and was presented his trophy by Grand Master J Chul Shin, who is a Korean Master and head of the World Tang Soo Do Association."

Chipping Sodbury Tang Soo Do hold classes at St John’s Mead Primary School and are always keen to enlist new members of all ages and standards, for further information please call Paul on 07860 471232.