The European Taekwondo U21 Championships got underway in Pristina, Kosovo on Thursday, with a team of nine British athletes travelling out to test themselves against the best talent from across the continent.
The first day of the four-day tournament saw Passion Taekwondo’s Lily Kingsley take to the mats in the -53kg category, where she managed to reach the last 16 of the competition.
A convincing victory over Simona Pernischova of Slovakia eased the 17-year-old through the Round of 32, with a series of well-timed attacks, flawless technique and footwork keeping her opponent at bay throughout the contest.
Greece’s Magdalini Klakala stood in her way in the Round of 16, with the pair going toe to toe in the early afternoon in Kosovo.
Both players gave as good as they got on Court 3, with the Greek athlete edging herself into a four-point lead with 30 seconds left to play in the contest, before Lily turned the tables to put herself into the advantage.
Seven unanswered points saw the Southampton-based athlete turn a 13-9 deficit into a 16-13 lead as the seconds edged away, leaving it looking as if the Brit would earn the early advantage in the duel.
But as Magdalini’s attacks became more frenetic in the final seconds, a crucial spinning kick made contact with the head to see victory snatched from Lily’s grasp, as she headed back to her coach trailing 1-0.
Both athletes carried on where they left off in their second encounter, with the pair trading point-scoring blows back and forth, with Lily trailing 10-8 around the midway mark.
A flurry of predatory attacks from her opponent proved to be the difference in the second-half of the bout though, with a two-point lead extended to ten in the blink of an eye.
A final score of 21-12 saw Lily’s competition come to an end, but after a year of progress competing on the international stage, the teenage talent can be proud of her efforts in 2025, and we look forward to seeing her progress in the year to come.
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