South Dublin Taekwondo

The United Arab Emirate of Fujairah was the venue for the kick off to South Dublin Taekwondo’s Ranking Event calendar. The location 2 hours from Dubai is now known for their glamorous hosting of events with exceptional staging attracting many of the worlds best athletes. Junior debutant Ryan Doyle (14) who progressed from the cadet age category was delighted to secure his first podium finish on the World Taekwondo circuit. In Ryan’s opener in the round of 16 he defeated opposition from Saudi Arabia, leading to a quarter final with a local Emirati. Ryan who is an ITF Black Belt who changed to the Olympic style of fighting closed out the match progressing to the medal rounds. The semi final was to be his last outing when he conceded the match to Uzbekistan who went on to secure the gold. Ryan who was accompanied by Coach Niamh Buffini hit a major milestone in his relatively new career and gained valuable experience fighting on one of the largest Taekwondo stages in Fujairah’s Sheikh Zayed Sports Complex. Club Coach Robert Taaffe noted, ‘Its a good start for Ryan in juniors, the division has those up to 17 years old. At 14 and winning a medal in juniors is a big achievement.’ Ryan was in good company with his team mate Jack Woolley who was also in action at the event. Seeded number one Woolley had a bye in the first round before a series of matches against India and Kazakhstan, finishing in the quarter final with a 5th place finish. Woolley now returns to Dublin for some preparations before flying out to Turkey on Friday for a double header of events; the Presidents Cup & the Turkish Open in Antalya accompanied by colleagues Lauren Farrell and David Phelan.