Team Ireland are aiming to go for gold at the Senior European Taekwondo Championships in Montreaux, Switzerland this week.
The Irish Taekwondo Union sent two rising Taekwondo stars to the event with the hope of podium finishes.
Jack Woolley of South Dublin Taekwondo and Conor Grassick of Peak Performance will take to the mats with the help of their esteemed coaches Robert Taaffe and Bobby Enright.
First up on the mat is Jack Woolley. The 17-yar-old holds an impressive position as world number 4 in his -54kg category. Woolley will be up against 25 other athletes from 22 countries in his quest for a podium place.
While Woolley has achieved the most medal finishes in 2016 thus far out of his competitors, he faces stiff competition on the way to the top.
Spain’s Tortosa Cabrera (world number 8) is possibly Woolley’s biggest threat. The Spanish player managed to nab a silver medal in the European Olympic Qualification Tournament earlier this year and secure himself a place in the -58kg category for the Rio Olympic Games.
Woolley’s first match is fight 107 and will Ireland face either Cyprus or Germany.
Woolley has secured an impressive seven medals this season so far. His most recent came in the German Open where he took home a bronze medal for Ireland.
Peak Performance’s Conor Grassick will take to the mat tomorrow in the male -68kg category, also hoping to bring home a gold for his country.
Grassick has put a lot of time into his training for the event, and medalled at the German Open in Hamburg recently in preparation for the Senior Europeans.
Grassick brought home a bronze medal and is looking to up the stakes and go for gold this time round in Montreaux.