Gold stars (From York Press)

Gold stars

9:54am Thursday 20th March 2008 in Sport By Peter Martini, peter.martini@thepress.co.uk

THE York Martial Arts Academy is celebrating again after medal-tastic tournaments - gaining no fewer than three British champions.

The fighters from the Minster city club, which is based at Foxwood Community Centre, followed up success at the WAKO British Championships in Nottingham with further triumphs at the WKA British Championships in Manchester.

At the WAKO event, the Academy won eight medals, and at the WKA event, they collected seven.

Those seven medal- winners are now set to represent England in the WKA World Championships in Florida in November.

The big winner at the WAKO tournament was Stuart Phillips, 20, from Huntington, who became British champion at the men's under-81kg class in the main full contact category. The apprentice joiner has trained at the club since he was seven.

Chief instructor Craig Long, a winner of several British crowns, said: "He's got the bit between his teeth now and he wants to get some more gold medals."

The York Academy gained three more silver and four bronze medals at the WAKO event.

Jay Spain, 15, a York High School pupil from Dringhouses, who is a previous British champion, got two of the silvers. They were won at girls' over-70kg level in the light continuous' category and in the semi-contact category.

Light continuous is the step between semi-contact kick boxing and full contact.

Seven-times champion Mark Long, 25, of Osbaldwick, also won silver, in the men's under-90kg light continuous class.

The bronze medallists included Liam Willets, nine, of Clifton, who fought in the boys' under-30kg light continuous class.

The big winners at the WKA tournament were Luke Burks and Georgia Shaw. Burks, 15, an All Saints' School pupil from Foxwood, became British champion in the boys' under-65kg light continuous class. Shaw, 11, from South Bank, won gold in the girls' creative forms class. This is a mix of martial arts and gymnastics.

The Millthorpe School pupil also won a silver medal in the girls' under-30kg semi-contact category.

Willets followed up his Nottingham success by collecting two more medals. He took silver in the boys' under-30kg light continuous class, and bronze in the semi-contact class.

Other bronze medals went to 15-year-old York High School pupil Daniel Morgan, of Acomb, in the under-40kg light continuous class, and James Renwick, 29, from Acomb, in the men's under-85kg light continuous competition.