Shropshire stars pick up a stunning medal haul
A group of mixed martial artists of all ages have won medals galore in a regional karate competition.
Members of the Shropshire Goju Ryu Karate Academy won a staggering 30 medals in the EGKA northern regional karate championships held on the Wirral earlier this month.
The academy, which is based in Broseley, took 23 fighters aged between six and 60 to the northwest to participate in a competition for only the second time since Covid restrictions were lifted.
By the end of the day, they came away with a terrific haul of medals including, six bronzes, seven silvers and an unbelievable seventeen golds.
The achievement was made even more impressive by the tough opponents they faced on the day from clubs in areas such as Birkenhead and Liverpool.
The group were competing in memory of their former instructor, sensei Sheryl Maybin who had recently passed away.
The third Dan blackbelt had been ill with cancer, and she passed away two weeks before the event at the age of 52 – she helped Max Beddow who is a sixth Dan blackbelt, to run the successful academy.
The group had also recently lost another supporting instructor sensei Damion Wood from Liverpool, who was a three-time world karate champion.
According to Beddow both Sheryl and Damion were 'immensely proud' of their student's achievements and always said what a 'privilege' it was to be a part of their journey.
The Shropshire Goju Ryu Karate Academy trains at Victoria Hall in Broseley on Thursday and Sunday evenings.
