A 17-year-old Cumbrian kickboxer has scooped three gold medals at the Canada world championships.
Tom Johnston, of Seaton, represented England in his age category and brought home the three golds from the WKU World Kickboxing Championship in Calgary on Monday.
Tom’s Dad Frank said: “In Canada he had ten fights over a four day period and went unbeaten. He beat four Canadians, two Germans, two Scots and two Mexicans.
“He also got a lot of feedback from the England coaches and they were surprised that he isn’t formally trained in kickboxing.
“They said he was a world class fighter and obviously he’s proved that, but they couldn’t believe he hadn’t actually been trained as a kickboxer as he’s training under Tapout Knockout in MMA and Jujitsu.
“But he won everything he went for and the day he won he went for a cheesecake after, which is a bit of a tradition now.”
Tom was crowned champion in three categories including points, which is based on who lands a shot first, continuous and low kick, where fighters can kick legs.
Frank added: “He had a very intense time the day before the final as he had been fighting in the England teams competition, where four fighters go one after the other and the scores mount up.
“We thought his ankle had gone at one point as he’s injured it before, so he had an ice bath and went into the finals with his ankle strapped, but he won them anyway.”
The week prior, Tom also attended the WKU Kickboxing English Champions in Birmingham with fellow fighter Oakley Hocking, 15, of Whitehaven School.
Tom came away with two English title belts whilst Oakley won her first kickboxing competition and title belt. The pair have both now qualified to fight in the world championships in Rhodes in October 2024.
Frank added: “The English championships are where you qualify to go to the world championships, so both Oakley and Tom did.
“Oakley’s dad Grant who’s one of the coaches at Tapout said he was really proud of her. They both did very well.”
Kyle Barlow, owner of Westlakes Demolition, has previously sponsored fighters from Tapout Knockout and supported both youngsters in Birmingham. He also fully paid for Tom’s flights to Canada.
Tom trains for two hours every day and only has one day off a week. Frank has also credited Keswick School for supporting Tom’s journey and allowing him to train in free periods.
Frank added: “Next year he will be training as a full-time professional athlete. We still have to work out the details with his club and coach but he’ll also be fighting as an amateur in MMA in the adult category.
“He doesn’t do anything else, the focus is fully on MMA and that’s the same for Oakley as well. But there’s quite a few people who are keen and have potential to make pro ranks in Tapout, it’s a really strong club.”
Over 1000 competitors attended the world championships in Canada and over 21 countries attended.
