Warwick taekwondo captain sees European success

There was taekwondo triumph for Warwick Sport at this year’s European ITF Championships, as the captain of the university’s club, Matty Stockton, put on a strong showing in Slovenia.

After months of training, Matty travelled to Europe to put himself to the test against some of the continent’s top fighters, representing England alongside a team of athletes from across the nation.

In individual sparring he got off to a strong start, winning his first fight against Ukraine and progressing out of the first round. However, competition was fierce, and a strong back kick from a Czech Republic fighter ended his tournament journey.

However, there was still plenty to play for in the team patterns and team sparring brackets, where the England team and Matty were able to perform at the highest level.

In team patterns, an event where the team must perform their skills in formation and synchronisation, a strong start carried the squad through to the semi-finals, where they would be defeated by eventual winners Greece. Despite coming just short of a chance at gold, the team’s efforts would be enough to take the bronze medal, a massive achievement. In team sparring a tough draw against Bulgaria – who again went on to win – saw England defeated at the quarter-final stage.

Matty was rightfully delighted with his performance at the championships, and professed that he had learned some “important lessons” which he would be able to “share with the club”. His individual achievement as captain of Warwick’s team can only be positive for the development of the sport at the university, and in travelling to Europe to compete, Stockton is yet another brilliant advertisement for everything that Warwick Sport has to offer.