University of Stirling students Jemma Swinburne and Kirsten Barrett are excelling in combat sports, with both seeing recent success at championship level.
Swinburne, a sports scholar, earned three medals at the recent WAKO Kickboxing British National Championships in Nottingham.
Not only did she earn the British title in the 50kg Kick Light category, but also a second place finish in the 50kg Light Contact category and a bronze medal in the Points Fighting.
The achievements are particularly impressive as Swinburne has only been competing in kickboxing for three years.
She said: “I’m really pleased with my results. Some of my fights were very close with experienced kickboxers. The championships have provided me with valuable mat time and quality fights that will set me up nicely for the rest of the year.”
As a result of this performance, the rest of the year will be exciting for Swinburne. She has now qualified to join the Wako GB team and will fly out to Portugal to compete in the Wako World Championships in November.
Barrett Impressive in Taekwondo Championships
Kirsten Barrett has also tasted success in the recent BUCs Taekwondo Winter Championships held in Eastleigh.
Barrett narrowly lost out in the final of the 57kg category but still earned herself a silver medal. Speaking about the result she said:
“I’ve only been competing in the WT style for a year and this has been been a big turning point for me. In my second match I won against a high-level international competitor so I was pleased with my performances in general. I feel my game is really starting to come along.”
This positive result is the start of a year of exciting competitions for Barrett. The final installation of the BUCs series will be held on March 25-26 which will give her the chance to qualify for the European University Student Games in Zagreb on July 20-23.
Featured Image Credit: Jemma Swinburne / Kirsten Barrett
Sports Editor @brignewspaper
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