NEATH ABBEY: Two world champions and a bronze for taekwon-do club at the World Cup in Benidorm

Two fighters from a Neath Abbey martial arts club have come home from Spain as world champions.

Jacob Wyatt and Kelsey Davies both won sparring titles at the ITF Taekwon-Do World Cup in Benidorm. Teammate Betti-Mia Aprea took a bronze medal.

The four-strong Mains Martial Arts Academy team represented Wales at the championships. The club says the event brought together 2,681 athletes from 57 countries and 234 clubs.

Jacob Wyatt wins pre-junior +65kg World Cup title

Wyatt, already a European champion, won the pre-junior male +65kg sparring title after five fights.

“Becoming World Cup Champion means so much to me. I’ve worked hard for this, and I’m proud that I stayed calm and gave my best in every fight,” he said.

He thanked coach Lauren Main, “who has been with me since I started Taekwon-Do at eight years old”, and his mam, “who has supported me every step of the way”.

“I had the best week with the best team! Bringing the title home to Mains and Wales is something I’ll always remember.”

Kelsey Davies: “I had to ‘do it scared’”

Davies won gold in the female 15 to 17 years, 4th to 1st Gup +65kg sparring division. Gup grades are the coloured-belt grades below black belt. It was her first major international championship.

“To win sparring gold and become World Cup Champion at my first international championship was an amazing feeling,” she said.

“It was daunting competing alongside teammates who already hold European titles, but their encouragement and the confidence my instructor, Miss Main, gave me helped massively.”

“I was nervous and scared, but I knew I couldn’t let that stop me. I had to ‘do it scared’, something I always tell the little ones I teach.”

She narrowly missed out in patterns, where fighters perform set sequences of moves judged on technique. Next she is aiming for the European Cup in Croatia.

“Losing narrowly in patterns was tough, but I’ve learned that every detail matters and that both wins and losses help us grow,” she said.

World Cup bronze for Betti-Mia Aprea

Aprea, a European silver medallist, won two fights on her way to bronze in the pre-junior female under-44kg sparring.

“I wanted to go all the way, but I’m proud of the fights I won and of bringing home a World Cup bronze medal. It’s made me even more determined to keep training and improving,” she said.

European bronze medallist Ocean Ferron-Hicks competed in the pre-junior female first-degree patterns but did not reach the podium.

“It was a brilliant experience to compete at the World Cup and represent Mains and Wales. The result wasn’t what I hoped for, but I’ve learned a lot and I’m looking forward to building on it,” she said.

Lauren Main: “An incredibly proud moment for our academy”

Main founded the academy and is the Welsh national ITF team coach. She said: “To return to Neath with two World Cup Champions and a bronze medallist is an incredibly proud moment for our academy.”

“Behind every performance are months of training, commitment and sacrifices from the athletes and their families.”

“Jacob’s cool, calm approach and maturity were outstanding. Watching Kelsey become World Cup Champion at her first major international championship was very special, and Betti-Mia fought two fantastic fights to earn her bronze.”

She thanked the club’s families, sponsors and community for their fundraising. She also thanked the Welsh team’s sponsors, Top Ten GB, whom the team met in Benidorm.

Three of the four went to Benidorm with European medals already to their name.

Mains Martial Arts started as a part-time club in 2016 and went full-time in 2022. More is on the Mains Martial Arts website.