Success was in store for a team of eight Isle of Man kickboxers at the WOMAA World Martial Arts Games in Dublin the weekend before last.

Along with squads from all corners of the British Isles, there were teams entered from as far afield as Germany, Slovakia and a large contingent from USA also descended on the Irish capital in the well-represented event.

The Manx team had prepared rigorously for the championships at Impact Kickboxing under the tutelage of David Pearson.

The hard work in the gym clearly paid off as they gained an impressive haul of eight medals between them, including a world title belt for heavyweight Omer Vahaplar in the black belt continuous fighting open weight category.

Success bred success for Vahaplar, as he also claimed silver and bronze medals to complete his personal set.

Also striking gold in the Emerald Isle were coach Pearson and Zara Sweeney, who claimed wins in karate and women’s continuous sparring categories respectively as the Manx returned a hat-trick of champions.

There was more medal success for the team, with silvers for Andy Craine and Colin Everden.

Craine excelled in the points format, while Everden’s medal came in continuous sparring. Both went agonisingly close to claiming gold in composed final performances.

It’s not all about the senior events, however, with a busy junior schedule too, and the youngest member of the Impact Kickboxing team showed his mettle with a bronze medal in his very first fight.

Seven-year-old Kyle Roosenbroek proved the future of Manx kickboxing is bright with a wonderful display in the junior point event.

Despite the individual successes, the emphasis all weekend was on team and the spirit and camaraderie of Team Impact could not be underplayed as they were a credit to the island.

Black belts Cameron Faulds and Lee Hughes completed the squad and were unlucky to fall short of the medal positions, both suffering narrow defeats against high-calibre opposition. Pearson and Everden also gained their A and C class refereeing certificates at the event.

Success could not have been possible without the support of the Thought Store Design Agency, SJ Scott Groundworks and Edward Bryan Removals for the sponsorship and continued support. Thanks goes to them.