Club pride as Raven trio enjoy World Championships medal glory in Norway
Three athletes from Raven Defensive Arts in Pleasley competed for team GB and proudly brought back medals from the international stage as they fought in the World Martial Arts Games Committee World Championships in Oslo, Norway.
Tom 'Pricey' Price, 35, Rosie Bennett, 30, and Fletcher Harrison, 15, all flew out to Oslo with Team GB on Bonfire night and certainly provided some fireworks in Norway.
Price competed in the Light Continuous Kickboxing category and ended up fighting Team USA in round one, and Mexico in round two, winning a silver medal.
Then just minutes later, he was called back up again to compete in his second category, Kick Light. Again, he came up against Team Mexico, and again he won a silver medal.
Bennett, having recently recovered from a broken foot, competed in Light Continuous and also fought Mexico and the USA and won a silver medal, demonstrating her talents, while teenager Fletcher,with only five years experience, also competed in Light Continuous, fighting two other Team GB athletes and he came away with a gold medal.
A team spokesperson said: “This is truly awe inspiring, being so young and on the international stage was an incredible honour for Fletcher, but to come away as world champion aged 15, we know he has an incredible future ahead of him.
“Altogether, the three of them from our small but mighty club of Raven Defensive Arts have brought back four medals for Team GB.
“It is an incredible achievement which is testament to the hard work put in by our athletes, their comprehensive training and hours of time, blood, sweat and tears, the coaching, the determination and the incredible skill and sportsmanship shown.
“Big thanks to those who sponsored the team members - T. Jones Fabrications, Derwent Valley Tooling, and Turbine Surface Technologies as well as Lashes Foundation, the Armchair Club and the Rotary Club to name but a few.
“We are so incredibly proud of them and feel that this should be celebrated.
“Three athletes from a relatively small club, now winning medals on the world stage is just incredible and should be shouted from the rooftops, in a time when good news is hard to come by.
“Further to this and following her competitive efforts, Rosie has been personally invited by Team USA to compete at the US Open next October - an incredible outcome reflecting her skill and dedication to her training.”