YORK karate ace Liam O'Grady is going from strength to strength.

He was a member of the England team which took gold in the Under-21 UK Grand Slam event which involved members of the Home nations taking each other on in individual and team events.

O'Grady, of Stockton Lane, is now looking forward to the European Championships which are being held in Vienna, Austria, later this month.

He will be accompanied by his Harrogate Shotokan Karate Club team-members Matthew Price, 29, who captained the England team in the UK Grand Slam event, and Nick Heald.

First dan black belt O'Grady (pictured right) recently won the 19 and 20 years fighting event in the Northern Region Championships in Barnsley.

These successes followed his appearance in the World Shotokan Karate Championships in Prague when he collected third place in the U21 event and was drafted into the England senior team after an injury to one of the original squad members.

England were narrowly beaten in the finals by Sweden after beating Wales, Canada and Russia.

Price, the Harrogate club chief instructor, took seventh place in the individual kata (set form) event, which boasted an entry of more than 100 competitors from all over the world.

Updated: 11:50 Thursday, November 15, 2001