Leitrim brothers on top of the world

Leitrim brothers on top of the world

16 September 2020

THREE Leitrim brothers powered their way to victory at a recent international karate event in Poland.

Gerard, Barry and Conor McAnulty won a haul of gold and silver medals at the WUKF III event in Szczecin, which was screened live on pay-per-view television.

The brothers — all members of the Kazoku Karate Club in Castlewellan — were delighted with their respective success in individual and team events.

The trio claimed two team gold medals, with Gerard and Conor also collecting silver in the individuals and Conor picking up a bronze medal in this category.

And there was more success for the Castlewellan club with Anne-Marie Cunningham winning individual silver and Martin Cunningham winning two individual golds. His brother Christopher won an individual bronze.

The McAnulty brothers all have a love of martial arts and sports and come from a strong GAA background and were delighted they were able to showcase their collective talent on live television at last week’s event.

Gerard explained that the Polish event was the only one to take place this year due to coronavirus.

“To do so well was really extra special for all us,” he said. “Up until quite close to the event no one really knew for sure if it would be going ahead. However, we were very lucky to get the green light with no restrictions.

“My brothers and I claimed team gold medals and even our mum Anne-Marie competed in the veterans category, winning a silver so it was brilliant.”

Gerard has a long love affair with karate, having got involved in the sport as a 12-year old in Newcastle. 

“We have a lot of members in our group and I think the oldest is around 55,” he explained. 

“The club is great for the community and brilliant for the individuals as it keeps them fit and healthy. As well as that, it helps people to build both confidence and discipline. It’s really good for everyone. 

“We have had a lot of adults come to the classes and they say it has really helped their confidence.”

Gerard described competing in Poland as the best experience he and his brothers have ever had. He said everything went really well, with the organisers making things as normal as they could.

“We definitely went in as underdogs as the Polish team is really strong, made up of multi-nationals, including some really top Brazilian fighters.

“Karate is a really big sport over there and were interviewed for television which was a great experience. With the results we got, I’m confident that has put us on the map.”

Gerard is now casting his attentions towards a big Dublin bout next March where he is set to feature highly on the bill. Also on the horizon is a planned Halloween night event in Wales but, for now, he plans to concentrate on what can be a rigorous training pattern to stay in top shape for the events. 

“The training can be intense, no doubt,” he said. “My brothers and I play GAA for Liatroim and sometimes we have to miss out on things with the club which we really don’t want to. But, at the end of the day this is our livelihood,” he said.

Gerard added: “Trying to juggle karate with Gaelic is hard. It’s not just the fights; you need to spend time sparring and training, working on agility.”

Gerard also revealed that his father, also called Gerard, coaches the Liatroim side and sees the work he and his brothers put in order to do what they do.