Local kickboxer Brendan Kenny (18 ) from Monivea secured an historic silver medal at the Junior World Kickboxing Championships in Italy.
Kenny, who trains out of the Red Star Kickboxing Gym, represented Ireland in the -79kg weight category at the World Association of Kickboxing Organisations’ event which attracted 2,500 junior competitors from 64 countries.
Kenny, the son of Elaine and Brendan Kenny, made history for the county when becoming the first junior kickboxer to reach a final of this prestigious event. Having first overcome fighters from Croatia, Germany, Italy and Russia in the preliminary rounds, he secured a place in the final where he faced a tricky Russian.
The final was neck and neck all the way to the final bell when the Russian won the last exchange to give him the winning round, with Kenny taking the silver medal - an outstanding achievement for someone who set his sights in the WAKO finals just eight months ago.
Coach and trainer Jon Mackey in Dublin said Kenny was “an unbelievably dedicated young athlete”.
“We were unlucky not to take the gold in Italy, but either way Brendan has shown the world's elite what he is capable of. Winning the WAKO's is inevitable for him, we just need to be patient, keep working, keep focused and stay hungry.”
