Offaly Kickboxing club tops medals table at WKO Midland Championships for second year running

BIRR K-1 Kickboxing & Self-Defence Club has once again claimed top honours at the WKO Midlands Championship, finishing as the outright overall winning club for the second consecutive year.

The Midlands Low Kick Championship, held in Nenagh, County Tipperary, is now in only its second year but has already grown from strength to strength. This year’s event attracted 26 clubs and more than 135 fighters, bringing together some of the strongest kickboxing clubs and competitors from across the country.

After a full day of competitive action, Birr K-1 finished at the top of the overall medals table, an outstanding achievement for the County Offaly club.

Birr finished level with another Offaly club on gold medals, securing an impressive five gold medals, five silver medals and eight bronze medals. The strength of Birr’s overall medal haul ultimately placed the club clear at the top of the tournament standings.

Even more impressively, this marks back-to-back overall victories for Birr K-1, having also topped the medals table at last year’s inaugural Midlands Championship.

Leading the way for Birr were the club’s five gold medallists:

Eibhe Buckley – Gold Medal

Jeffrey Pardy – Gold Medal

Thomas Murray – Gold Medal

Filipe Nunes – Gold Medal

Raphael Creamer – Gold Medal

There was another outstanding performance from Filipe Nunes, who successfully retained his title to become a back-to-back Midlands Champion, winning the competition for the second year running.

Nunes produced an exceptional display of kickboxing throughout the championship and was regarded by many of the coaches in attendance as one of the standout competitors of the entire tournament, with many voting him their Fighter of the Day.

Birr K-1’s success continued throughout the divisions, with five fighters battling their way to silver medals: Odhran Kennedy – Silver, Rian Smith – Silver, Ben Ginson – Silver, David Delaney – Silver, Katie Lambe – Silver.

The club also collected an impressive eight bronze medals through: Max Smit – Bronze, John Lambe – Bronze, James Lambe – Bronze, Paddy Finnerty – Bronze, Willow Pardy – Bronze, Shane Finnerty – Bronze, Cormac Creamer – Bronze, Miguel Madancia – Bronze.

Amy Lamb and Daniel McCann also performed extremely well, both finishing fourth in their respective groups.

While medals are a fantastic reward, the club was equally proud of the fighters who stepped onto the competition mats for the very first time.

For several members of the Birr team, this was their first experience of competitive kickboxing. Birr's came away having shown the heart, courage and will of a fighter.

At the other end of the experience scale, a number of last year’s champions returned to the mats and successfully defended their positions, demonstrating the continued development and consistency within the Birr club

It was also an extraordinary day for Birr K-1 Head Coach Raphael Creamer, who spent the championship coaching his fighters, as well as carrying out judging and refereeing duties throughout the event.

After helping guide his team through a long day of competition, Creamer then stepped onto the mats himself.

The experienced Second Dan black belt, WKO K-1 Veterans Champion and back-to-back WKO All-Ireland Light Contact Champion, battled through two demanding contests to add yet another championship to his record.

Creamer came through a closely fought semi-final before facing Diarmuid Maher of Carlow in an extremely competitive final.

After three hard-fought rounds, the contest was so close that the judges could not separate the two fighters, sending the championship final into a fourth and deciding extra round.

Following another fiercely contested round, Creamer’s hand was raised, making the Birr K-1 head coach the WKO Midlands Low Kick Champion.

For a coach who had already spent the day in the corners of his own fighters, judging and refereeing bouts, finishing the championship by stepping onto the mats and winning gold himself was a fitting conclusion to an exceptional day for the club.

Creamer said he was extremely proud of the achievements of every member of the Birr team and, in particular, the hard work and commitment shown by the students in preparation for the championship.

To finish as the overall number one club at the WKO Midlands Championship for two consecutive years is a tremendous achievement for Birr K-1.

With 26 clubs and more than 135 competitors in attendance, the championship continues to establish itself as a major event on the Irish kickboxing calendar, and the standard of competition continues to rise.

For Birr K-1, however, the greatest achievement was not simply the medals.

It was seeing first-time fighters finding the courage to step onto the mats, established competitors continuing to develop, champions successfully defending their titles, and the entire team supporting one another throughout the day.

Five golds. Five silvers. Eight bronzes. Eighteen medals in total.

And, most importantly: WKO Midlands Championship Overall Club Winners — Birr K-1 Kickboxing & Self-Defence Club. Back-to-back champions. Two years running.