OKEHAMPTON ladies took centre stage at the Southern TAGB Tae Kwon-Do Championships this year.

Representing BOP Tae Kwon-Do, Kate Burgess, Caitlyn Piper, Amelia Picarella, Sophie Shaw and Shannon Thompson all travelled to Torquay to compete in divisions for patterns and sparring.

Kate Burgess gained a bronze in ladies’ red belt patterns, Caitlyn Piper won a bronze for her girls’ blue belt sparring, and Amelia Picarella came back with a silver medal for her tag team sparring event.

Shannon Thompson and Sophie Shaw both fought bravely against more experienced opponents, but missed out on any medals this time. Shaw being a seasoned fighter and no stranger to the winner’s rostrum will be looking to reclaim her title. This being Thompson’s first competition, and losing out to the girl who went on to gain gold, has come away with valuable experience.

Instructors Guy and Lisa Southard, who are proud of all their efforts, said: ’It takes courage to compete, and they all have that. It is true that if you learn from it, there is no real losing.’