Published: 2 March 2022 at 15:30
On Sunday 20 February, ARU sent a team of athletes to the Winter BUCS Taekwondo Championships held in Nottingham.
Having achieved considerable medal success in the Autumn Championships back in December, ARU was keen to cement its top five position with an equally dominant performance.
Athletes competed in both Sparring and Patterns disciplines against universities from all across the country. Categories were often very large, so the medals were very hotly contested, with several of the ARU athletes fighting upwards of three bouts in a single day.
ARU's domination in the Sparring discipline was evident with an almost 100% medal rate, and we came away with a fantastic haul of 11 medals (one gold, five silver and five bronze).
Shoaib Shahid, Head Coach, commented:
"What a fantastic performance from Team ARU! These results are testament to the hard work and dedication of the team who have embodied the Taekwondo value of 'Indomitable Spirit'.
"I'm so proud of the progress made by the club this year and I have really enjoyed fostering a high-performance focus with many of the athletes. Onwards to the BUCS Spring Series Final in March where we seek to cement our domination on the BUCS Taekwondo scene!"
Shayanne Sarsoza, Captain and A Class Sparring Silver Medallist (pictured, right), added:
"BUCS Taekwondo events represent the collection of some of the most talented athletes in the country and hence offer fantastic opportunities for hard fought competition and growth!
I've been privileged to lead the ARU team as Captain to two BUCS events now and could not be happier with the resilience and determination shown by everyone. On a personal note, I managed to go one up on my performance in December by winning silver. Here's to gold in March!"
Agathe Minaro (A Class Female) - bronze
Anastasia Khegai (A Class ITF Female) - bronze
Kuldeep Singh (-63kg C Class Male) - gold
Shayanne Sarsoza (-53kg A Class Female) - silver
Cameron Todd (+87kg A Class Male) - silver
Anastasia Khegai (-57kg A Class Female ITF) - silver
Muhammed Uvais (-74kg C Class Male) - silver
Emmanuel Adeyoka (-87kg C Class Male) - silver
Cameron Todd (+92kg A Class Male ITF) - bronze
Corbie Donnelly (-62kg C Class Female) - bronze
Vipin Kumar (+87kg C Class Male) - bronze