Gold medal for Warrington karate champion

A YOUNG woman from Warrington has been crowned European karate champion after beating off strong opposition from Italy and Poland.
Joanne Phelan travelled to Romania to win gold at the finals of the senior female kata event.
The 23-year-old, who is supported by LiveWire’s talented athlete programme, represented the International Karate Union Scotland in the event which saw competitors from all over Europe take part.
The champion, who is from Whittle Hall, has been training at Great Sankey Leisure Centre for 15 years and has been on the talented athlete programme since winning European gold for the first time in the U21s category back in 2013.
The programme supports young athletes with their development giving them a free membership to all LiveWire leisure sites whilst providing one-to-one support for strength and conditioning as well as advice on nutrition and goal setting.
Joanne said: “I’m so happy to achieve a medal at a senior championships, let alone gold! I’d like to thank my coach, Steve Nelson, and the Livewire Talented Athlete programme for supporting me for the past three years.”
Steve Nelson added: “I’m really proud of Jo and her performance. She always works hard and it shows in her consistent results.”