ALL OF YOUR BLANCH SPORTS COVERAGE FROM PAGE 27-31
COMEBACK KINGS: Coolmine rally to
claim victory over Monkstown in cup tie P30
MARCH 15, 2012
DRIVING FOR IRELAND: Touring Car star on his return to Dublin P29
GazetteSPORT
Gold for McMenemy at Irish Open I blanchardstownsport@gazettegroup.com
The golden boy of Irish kickboxing, Rob McMenemy, went about business in his usual fashion last weekend, taking home the gold medal at the Irish Open, a tournament close to the young World Champion’s heart, for a record ninth time. To McMenemy, the Irish Open presents a challenge that has rarely been matched throughout his years of globetrotting for kickboxing. “I think it’s the biggest tournament in the world. When you get to the big international stages, you might only have to fight twice in the day to take a World Championship, like I did in Beijing last year. “At the Irish Open, you not only have to worry about the world leaders in the sport - anybody can walk in there and take the prize - and with 84 fighters in my category this year, it can be very hard to get through the whole weekend without suffering a loss,” said the Tallaght-born scrapper. With a victory over old adversary Harold Schmidt in the semi-final, McMenemy went on to beat Samuel Gag-
non of Canada in the final and thus confirmed his name in the history books of the sport with a record ninth gold medal in the Open. Changing between his fighting and coaching hats throughout the weekend, as head coach of Coolmine gym, Spartan Martial Arts, the respected striker saw his team rise to the occasion. “I had a few people taking their first steps in the senior cycle of things this year, and I couldn’t be prouder of the results that came in. “James O’Connor, from Hunststown, won the Super Heavyweight section and Ashley St Mart , who’s only a young 16-year-old brown belt, took home the gold in men’s under-63kg black belt section, where he beat a world-class opponent, Ricky Veres. “Cian Corrigan put on awesome display in men’s 84kg section, and Joanne Deegan, Bo Mangen and Amber Amalakauskita did very well, finishing as quarter-finalists on the day. “Our junior fighters, Michael Avetisian, Rostick and Andrew Ivanchuk, Kevin and Alex Plamadella and Sergei Baskin did
Robbie McMenemy in action in the Irish Open. Picture: Eana Rasmussen
their club very proud. “Amy McKenna deserves big congratulations; at 13 she competed against one of the best female fighters in the world, Charlie Maddox, in the adult section and managed to hang in there, taking the silver medal,” he said. The future is bright for McMenemy and
Spartan Martial Arts, with a host of tournaments and seminars, not to mention a World Championship, on the horizon. Spartan Martial Arts is open on Tuesdays and Thursdays in the Coolmine Industrial Estate. For more information contact Rob on 0872599418