Two siblings from Donegal Town were part of the Irish success story in the ISKA World Championships.
Nicol Pojawa (16) and Ksawier Pojawa (13), who train at the Castle K1 Kickboxing in Castlederg, won medals in Vienna.
Nicol, a fierce competitor in the -60kg category, secured a silver medal. Her younger brother, Ksawier, followed suit, battling his way to a bronze medal in the same weight class.
Training under the watchful eyes of coaches David and Maria Byrne at Castle K1, Nicol and Ksawier have been honing their skills since the young ages of 4 and 6, respectively.
Their sights are now set on professional dreams in the cage or ring.
Nicol’s journey continues in just a couple of weeks as she prepares to fight for a coveted title and both siblings will then set their sights on the ISKA European World Championships taking place in Malta next April. She is looking for a sponsor to collaborate with and hopefully will bring home more medals next year.
Castle K1 had a fantastic overall performance at the ISKA World Championships, winning six of Ireland’s 39 medals.
In addition to Nicol and Ksawier, several other Castle K1 athletes brought home medals: Ciaran O’Neill, Niamh Cawley, and Paul Hooks all won bronze.
Another young Donegal talent who made waves at the World Championships was Liam Grant, a 15-year-old from Buncrana, who was the youngest competitor in the 60kg category. Liam trains at Strike Martial Arts Academy in Derry.