World title isn't enough for Woods
SWORDS TAEKWON-DO ACE ARRIVES HOME TO HERO'S WELCOME
Proud moment – Luke Woods from Swords on the podium in Argentina the week before last.
Wednesday December 09 2009
YOU might think new world taekwon-do champion Luke Woods would be chilling out for Christmas after his stunning exploits in Argentina – but not a bit of it! The 24-year-old from Swords only returned home from south America last Tuesday night, but he went back to work on Wednesday morning and is already setting himself fresh goals.
'I'm starting to get the hang of things,' he jested, after winning the Senior Men's 57 to 63kg sparring competition.
'It feels great to be a world champion, but my main thing now is to get back training. That's when it will really hit me, when I get back with the guys I train with.
'I was back at my own club Rivervalley on Friday and it was brilliant. My coach Stephen Cooley is at the club 24 or 25 years and I'm his first world champion.
'I'd like to thank him, and also my conditioning coach Brian Kavanagh. Up to two years ago I was against weight training because I was afraid of putting on weight – until I started work with this guy.
'A lot of people in this sport are semipros. They get the last month before major championships off work to go on training camps and get special grants from the Government.
'But the training I've had is as good and there's no disadvantage in that sense.
'I'd also like to thank my parents. A few times I got side-tracked from taekwon-do and they put me back on track.
'Also thanks to Traffic Management Services who gave me some funding before I left for Argentina.'
Luke defeated opponents from Switzerland, Poland, Hungary, Canada and the Netherlands before facing up to and defeating the fancied Russian in the final.
He trained seven nights a week in the six weeks leading up to the Worlds, and also at 6.30 on two mornings before going to his work as a metal fabricator.
He also competed in Holland, Poland, Sweden and Spain as part of his preparations, with the cost of flights and accommodation coming out of his own pockets. And when the World Championships arrived, he faced the exhausting journey to Argentina, via Madrid, with a six-hour coach journey after the Irish team's arrival in Buenos Aires.
'I would normally be 67 to 68kg, so I had to start fasting on the flight to make the weight and that was torturous.'
That incredible commitment has now been rewarded with world gold – but Luke wants more.
'The real target now is to hang on to the title,' he said.
'I'd been training hard all year and starting to get a bit stale, but training as a world champion is the best thing about this and I'm looking forward to getting back into it.
'The next World Championships are in New Zealand in 18 months' time, and before that there's the Europeans next March or April.'
- Marcus CAVAROLI
