Master Rienzi Trento with the Holborn Tigers squad who took part in the Kent Open Taekwondo Championships in Blackfen

MASTER Rienzi Trento played down expectations ahead of the Kent Open Taekwondo Championships on Saturday.

Travelling with a talented, but very young squad, the 6th-dan black belt said: “Of course it’s always nice to win medals, but this is about giving the kids some much-needed experience. It’s important that they get the feel of what a competitive competition is like.”

In total 17 members from the Holborn Tigers took part in the event, held at Tan-Gun Taekwondo Academy in Blackfen, where they showcased their skills in one, or both, key disciplines: the poomsae, otherwise known as patterns, in which a competitor is judged on their ability to perform a set sequence of movements; and kyorugi, the art of sparring.

Stephen Muneyuki with Amelia Das

Simply gaining experience, as it turned out, wasn’t enough for a team of Tigers featuring hungry martial artists from across Camden, Islington and Westminster.

“It’s incredible, every single member of the squad came home with at least one medal,” rejoiced Master Rienzi, who lives in Somers Town. “There were so many individual success stories that I can’t even remember exactly how many medals we won!

“I’m so happy for all the kids, it feels like I’m walking on clouds. All the hard work that they have been putting in has been given a purpose. They were all incredible.”

Britney Shashini Gunarathna with Master Rienzi

The majority of the Holborn Tigers’ squad was made up of competition debutants with a sprinkling of now seasoned contenders.

Lilli Babak, who lives in Soho and attends Soho Parish School, returned to the mats to add another gold to her collection. After winning her sparring category, the nine-year-old red belt said: “I felt very nervous but also very confident, even though most of the children I was fighting were much older than me and most of them with a higher belt. But it did not scare me.

Maya Fummilayo-Oneto

“The girl I fought in the final was 12 years old, and five kilos heavier, and taller than me, but I fought very technical so it was very difficult to kick me. I went in and did my best, and got a gold medal. I feel very proud, and I can’t wait for the next competition.”

Lilli wasn’t the only Babak to bag a medal, with her younger brother, Maximilian, marking his competitive debut by taking bronze in the poomsae. Admitting that he was “a bit afraid” before the competition, the seven-year-old yellow belt said: “I was so nervous, but when I finished my patterns I felt very happy. I was happy because I practised a lot and I got all the moves correct. I feel very proud to have won a medal.”

Maximilian Babak

Other highlights were Master Rienzi’s son, Stephen Muneyuki, winning gold in fighting. The 16-year-old blue belt from Somers Town also scooped silver in patterns. Red belt Ming Shen Aw, from Islington, was also singled out for praise after the 14-year-old overcame a shin injury picked up in training to strike gold in his fighting category.

Master Rienzi added that the performance of the day belonged to Maya Fummilayo-Oneto from Holborn after the six-year-old “recorded the biggest score of the tournament with more than 70 points” to win gold in her first-ever fighting competition.

Lilli Babak

Other Tigers hailed for heroic efforts on their competitive debuts were Somers Town trio Maisie Underwood, 10, who won gold in patterns, Britney Shashini Gunarathna, 5, who scooped silver in fighting and bronze in patterns, and Amelia Das, 8, who won silver in patterns.