VIDEO: World karate silver for Mansfield’s Bailey Lowe

Bailey Lowe (18) won a silver medal in kata and 2 bronze in kumite at the 2013 WIKF world karate championships in Crawley, pictured here with her medals and Mansfield Karate Club.

It was Bailey’s first major tournament as a senior and it was in the senior ladies’ Kata in which she had to be content with the silver medal.

The-19-year-old also achieved bronze in her Kumite group, again her first major competition as a senior and also a bronze in the senior ladies’ team.

The championships were an amazing success with almost 30 countries taking part including the USA, Azerbaijan, Cyprus and Italy, and England finished second overall in the medals table behind Denmark.

Mum Julie said: “Bailey had been training constantly for almost a year in preparation and this was as well as working full time hours with Mencap, working with people with autism and learning disabilities.

“Everyone and anyone who knows her is amazed at her dedication with everything she does, be it karate or working for Mencap.

“She has worked so hard under the guidance of her club coach Sensi David Allsop and also her England coaches Andy Michaelides and Kevin McAuslan-Crine.”

Among her competitions in the last 12 months she has taken part in the WIKF Europea Championships in Greece, where she achieved gold for her age/weight group and returned a European champion.

Then Bailey was voted Mansfield’s Junior Sports Person 2012 at the awards held at the Samworth Academy.

However, she continues to struggle to find any sort of sponsorship backing which could end up hampering her hopes of progressing further.

“All but one of Bailey’s training sessions with her England squad are held in either Basingstoke or Enfield and often need an overnight stay, all of which Bailey has been funding herself,” said Julie.

“She is off to Belgium in November for her next big tournament, again something Bailey is funding entirely herself.

“This is why she is still, despite numerous appeals, looking for a sponsor who can help her fund the sport she loves and has chosen to pursue to the highest level.”

Anyone who would like to help with sponsorship can contact her via 07877 202856 or [email protected].