Tipperary fighter wins four silver medals at world championships in Barcelona
Shannon Strawbridge sets her sights on gold in three years' time
Shannon Strawbridge from Tipperary Taekwondo Club enjoyed huge success at the recent World Championships in Barcelona, taking home an astonishing four world silver medals in Female Adult Middle Weight Sparring, Team Adult Sparring, Team Power Breaking and Team Special Technique.
Shannon was also the captain of Team Ireland.
Speaking of her success and her plans for the future, Shannon said that she went to Barcelona with the goal of becoming world champion once again, but unfortunately, it wasn’t her time to take gold.
“My first fight was a tough, close match against a competitor from Spain, which advanced me to the quarter-finals. There, I faced an opponent from the Netherlands, delivering a dominant performance throughout the four minutes.
“This led me to the semi-finals, where I encountered a strong Irish opponent, against whom I put on another dominant four-minute performance.
“In the final, I met a very tough and strong Brazilian opponent. The initial four minutes flew by, marked by several instances where my opponent’s gloves came off without the clock being stopped, putting me at a disadvantage.
“Despite knocking my opponent down multiple times, she strangely didn’t lose any points for the numerous warnings she received. This brought the fight to extra time and then to a first-point-wins scenario.
“I believe the fight shouldn’t have gone to extra time in the first place, but it is what it is. I dedicated so much to that number one spot, sacrificing precious time with my family and pushing through injuries after being involved in a car accident at the start of the year.
“The next world championships are in Ireland in 2028 and I will be taking the gold home then,” said Shannon.