A YORK schoolgirl has struck gold at a prestigious national karate competition, fighting with "grit and determination".
Eleanor Poels, from Woodthorpe, gained karate victory at the 2023 KUGB National Championships on April 22, after striking gold in the Junior Ladies Kumite category and taking home the Most Outstanding Junior Competitor Award.
Fighting with "grit and determination", the 16-year-old York Elite Karate member took to the podium in Nottingham after landing the highest accolade in the combat element of karate, for the second year in a row.
Eleanor, who attended All Saints School in York, said: “I’ve recently moved up an age category so I knew that I’d be up against some really tough competition.
"Each stage of the competition brought many challenges, but the cheers from my teammates helped spur me on and I couldn’t be more pleased with my gold win.”
Gaining her black belt at just nine years old, Eleanor has quickly become a well-known fighting force taking home both national and international karate titles, including gold for the Girls Kumite at the 2022 Karate Union of Great Britain (KUGB) National Championships, gold for the Cadet Ladies Team Kumite at the 2022 World Shotokan Karate-do Association (WSKA) World Championships and silver in both the Cadet and Junior Ladies Team Kumite at the 2022 European Shotokan Karate-do Association (ESKA) European Championships.
Joining Eleanor at the competition was York Elite Karate teammate and fellow England squad member, Cayleigh McCartney. Following a busy week gaining her third Dan karate grading, Cayleigh excelled in her division and achieved a bronze medal in the Senior Ladies Kumite category just days later. Alongside Cat Morris, the trio achieved bronze in the Ladies Team Kumite - and both Cayleigh and Eleanor now hope to be selected to fight in the upcoming European and world championships.
Junior York Elite members also made their mark at the competition, with Carolina Alverez Odell and Toby Holiday both making it to the semi-finals in their respective Girls and Boys divisions - and came away triumphant with bronze medals following hard-fought matches.
Commenting on the team's victories, chief instructor Rob McCartney said: “The KUGB National Championships always attract the toughest competitors in the karate world, so we knew our club members would need to bring their A-game to reach the podium.
“I couldn’t be more thrilled at the performance from all of our competitors, and each win is a testament to our member’s skill, determination and talent.”
Under the tuition of Mr McCartney and Kumite instructor Harry Cuddy, the York Elite Karate club provides traditional Shotokan karate training for all ages and skill levels. The club trains on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays - and is always open to new members.
Further details can be found on the York Elite Karate website.
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