Day Two of the 2026 British International Open brought the curtain down on a spectacular weekend of Taekwondo in Manchester, as cadet and junior athletes took centre stage at the National Cycling Centre.
Following a high-intensity opening day of senior competition, the second day showcased the future of the sport, with rising stars from across the world delivering outstanding performances across both age groups. With medals, team titles, and overall honours on the line, the atmosphere remained electric from the first bout to the final contest.
The cadet divisions were packed with emerging talent, and it was National Taekwondo Club (NTC) who rose above the rest to be crowned Cadet Team Champions with three gold medals and one silver across the day. Their athletes consistently delivered under pressure, navigating competitive draws and securing crucial wins in decisive moments to earn another piece of silverware to add to their collection.
In the cadet boys -33kg category, the depth of British talent was clear, with Zaac Quah the one to take home gold after beating compatriot Aiden Hayrann in the final, while fellow Brit Poriya Khoshghad also earned bronze after a semi-final defeat.
The boys -41kg division saw 12 competitors take to the mats with a strong mix of international talent. Dev Sharma emerged victorious from a strong field, with the young talent overcoming Portuguese top seed Guilherme Borges 2-0 in the quarter-finals, before beating fellow home hopes Zaydan Nowell and Leo Macaskill.
Leighton Byrne lived up to his billing as top seed in the Boys -45kg category by overcoming the challenges of a 20-strong field to take gold, with the burgeoning talent winning all four of his matches 2-0 en route to the top of the podium.
Another strong British performance came in the Boys -49kg category, as Louis Hedworth, Khalid Ahmed and Finnlay Duffy made it a one, two, three on the podium respectively.
On the female side, the cadet girls -33kg division saw British Taekwondo Cadets Squad member Gabriella Pettigrew finish second after a tough encounter with Italy’s Azzurra D’Alessandro.
Fellow squad member Nyah Cannon also made her way to the final of the -37kg category, where she lost out to France’s Tyah Tavars, who had also overcome another Brit in teh semi-final, in the shape of Inayah Tamoor.
Neve Burkett was another to earn silver in the -44kg division after losing out to Germany’s Wafa Charrad in the final, while Raw Taekwondo’s Lara Soyusinmez headed home with a silver after defeat to French star Manel Bezzaouya.
If the cadet competition showcased the depth of talent across the next generation, the junior divisions delivered drama. The race for the Junior Team Champion title was decided by the narrowest of margins, with Aquila Taekwondo emerging victorious ahead of Liverpool Elite and Ching Ying TKD Union of Hong Kong.
All three teams finished with identical medal tallies — one gold, one silver, and one bronze — but Aquila edged ahead on overall placement points (205), just ahead of Liverpool Elite (200) and Ching Ying (196).
In the junior men’s -45kg division, Great Britain’s Daniel Belanszky entered as top seed in a five-athlete bracket, alongside fellow British competitors Elliott Fell and Joshua Sherratt. In the end, it was American athlete Jude Bozarth who took the gold after overcoming Daniel in the last four and Josh in the semi-final.
The men’s -48kg division proved to be a competitive field in Manchester, with Coulby Sport’s Rocco Harbisher losing out to Alejandro Sanchez Jerez in the final, with Luis Harrison earning bronze.
Sam Taylor earned himself a well-deserved silver in a 11-athlete strong field in the -51kg category, while Hamza Elagami came runner-up in an 18-strong field at -55kg, wuth Aidan Mohammed Bhaloda picking up bronze.
Leon Goldson will be proud of his efforts to reach the final of the -63kg divison at the National Cycling Centre, overcoming strong competition throughout the day before falling to Sweden’s Hugo Aman in the final.
Ali Asef, competing in the junior men’s -68kg division, continued to show his class in his hometown, with the Cheetham Hill native seeing off strong opposition to claim gold, adding to his bronze medal at the Cadets European Championships at Athens last year.
The Manchester athlete once again demonstrated his ability to perform at a high level against international competition – a continuation of his rapid rise through the junior ranks.
Elsewhere, there were strong performances from Josiah Boreland (Gold, Male -78kg) and Rigzen Limbu (Gold, +78kg) on a strong day for the Male Junior athletes.
The women’s junior divisions also delivered standout performances with Betsy Walker of Quest Taekwondo overcoming two athletes from Hong Kong to earn gold, with Ka Wai Chan seen off in the semi-final, before coming from behind to overcome Cho Yee Charis Tsui in the final.
Elizabeth Adamsons of Scorpion Taekwondo earned a first medal at Junior Division after making the step up from the Cadets earlier this year, and performed impressively to earn silver, having overcome American athlete Halo Canezo in the semi-final with an accomplished display.
Jeon-Sa’s Jovie Ho overcome Adeisha Awudu of Taekwondo Machine in the final of the female -52kg category, while Monika Ilieva did the same to Jaz Pakes at -55kg.
The -59kg division saw all four medals head to British athletes, with Eloise Grant taking gold, Millie-Ann Pearce-Kirk silver, while Salome Aude-Lange and Alba Wyllie took bronze.
Liverpool Elite’s Christina Creighton beat compatriot Selena Kalantari to take gold in the -63kg division, LMC’s Paige Vincent overcame Eva Lyall to also go home a Champion in the -67kg class, while Maya Stopford took gold in +68kg.
With all results combined across both days, National Taekwondo Club (NTC) were crowned overall Team Champions, finishing the weekend with three gold and four silver medals. Their dominance in the cadet divisions, supported by strong overall performances, proved decisive.
Olimpo Futurama Taekwondo of Italy secured second place overall with three gold and five bronze medals, while the Great Britain National Team finished third with two gold, two silver, and four bronze medals – highlighting the strength of British athletes across all levels of competition.
The British International Open was a celebration of talent from across the globe, as we welcomed the World Taekwondo community to Manchester. With over 600 athletes competing across the weekend, the action was sensational from start to finish.
The two days of action proved how strong the talent is in the United Kingdom right now, with the strong medal haul across the board testament to the commitment and hard work of the British Taekwondo membership to ensure our sport and Martial Art continues to thrive.
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