IT Sligo martial arts star and Sports Scholar Liam Codd from Ballygawley, Co Sligo has certainly come of age in his specialist sport, karate. 
He won three gold medals at the recent W.T.K.A (World Traditional Karate Kickboxing Kung Fu & All Styles Association) World Championships in Italy, bringing his golden tally to 21 since first competing in them eight years ago.
Add another silver and a bronze that he also picked up this time at the tournament, held in Marina di Carrara, Tuscany, and you can see why the second year Health Science and Physiology student is one of Irish karate’s brightest hopes.
In all, Liam has scooped some 60 medals in representing this country at the WTKA championships in the cadet, boys and junior levels. He also recently won the karate college intervarsities.
“It’s always great to win any medal but it was especially good to get three world titles this time because this will be my last year in the junior section,” said Liam (18).
His gold medal Junior Men events were the 70kg Kumite Shobu Sanbon, 70kg Karate Point and 75kg Karate Point. He took silver in the 69kg Kickboxing Semi-Contact and bronze in the 75kg Kumite Shobu Sanbon.
Departure from the junior ranks means that next year Liam will face his stiffest challenge yet if again chosen for the national squad. For, then, he will be pitched into the senior level where the age group is 19 to 40 and he will be very much “the new kid on the block”.
Liam said: “I hope I am selected and, if so, it’ll mean I’ll be moving up to the senior section. There’ll be a lot of experienced fighters, so for me it’ll be like being thrown ‘into the deep end of the pool’.
“I think my strength will be in my speed and I’d assume I’d be quicker than some of them but they’ll have the experience. I’m back in training at the moment working on my speed but I’ll definitely have to improve on my power too.
“All in all, there’s a bit of a fear factor about next year,” he joked. “I just don’t know what to expect.”
Another unknown quantity for Liam next year will be the sheer scale and quality of the tournament. The WTKA started in 2005 and now involves 138 countries but recently it created an alliance with the WKA (World Karate Kickboxing Association) Federation.
The next event will be called known as the WTKA WKA Unified World Championships, making it the greatest martial arts and combat sports tournament of its kind.
Liam, who intends to become a professional physiotherapist after graduation, pays warm tribute to his instructors, John Sweeney and John’s son, Michael, at the Green Dragon club, which is attached to the Mercy College in Sligo.
Liam was just eight years old when he took up the sport and now he, too, is sharing his expertise. He coaches young martial arts enthusiasts in Ballintogher Hall each Friday at 7pm.
Caption for photo top photo: Karate champion and IT Sligo Sport Scholar Liam Codd shows off his skills at the St Patrick’s Day Parade in Sligo.
Liam Codd receives his Sport Scholarship Award from President of IT Sligo, Professor Terri Scott.
