JUDO: Three All Ireland champions for Dungannon club

The Re-Bu- Kan judo club Dungannon rounded off a fantastic 2016 with three All Ireland champions as well as two beaten finalists and two bronze medals.
By The Newsroom
Published 4th Dec 2016, 16:58 BST
Updated 6th Dec 2016, 12:42 BST
Dungannons All Ireland champion Jonny Herron (right) who beat Najafi Morteza in the final of the over 100 kilos in DublinDungannons All Ireland champion Jonny Herron (right) who beat Najafi Morteza in the final of the over 100 kilos in Dublin
Dungannons All Ireland champion Jonny Herron (right) who beat Najafi Morteza in the final of the over 100 kilos in Dublin

In the under 16 years group, 12-year old Kyle Brennan, fighting at 38 kilos, was the star, winning all of his fights inside the distance to add the All Ireland title to the Leinster Open title he won in October.

Eight year old Matt Barrett claimed the silver medal in the lightest weight group (24 kilos) while 14-year-old Ben Taylor also won silver. Ben fought in two different categories and won a bronze medal in the other one.

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In the late afternoon it was the turn of the seniors and here the club had two more champions in Nancie Armstrong and Jonny Herron. Nancie was crowned All Ireland champion at over 78 kilos while Jonny lifted the Over 100 kilos crown after an epic battle in the final against the previously unbeaten Najafi Morteza, a Dublin based Iranian.

Janis Sumanis of Ren-Bu- Kan only lost one fight but came back to win the bronze medal in the under 90 kilos.

The Dungannon club had already had five Irish Open champions from earlier on in the year in Cathair McGurk, Stella Corr , Micky Corr, Malwina Milecka and Harry McGuigan but none of them were fighting in this All Ireland due to injuries and other commitments so this was a remarkable achievement and adds another year to the club’s amazing record of producing Irish champions every single year since the first ones in 1974: a 42-year unbroken sequence unmatched by any club in Ireland.