British Championships are Taylor-made for Rob's fab four

British heavyweight champion Ernestas Girdauskas with his coach Rob Taylor.

Seven members of the city’s TASK club run by world champion and Peterborough Telegraph Sportsman of the Year Rob Taylor attended the WKU (World Kickboxing & Karate Union) British Championships in Birmingham and Jazmyn Popat-Evans, Lucy Stirland, Skaiste Stukaite and Ernestas Girdauskas all returned with British title belts.

Popat-Evans fought off the country’s best to win the girls 13-16 years point sparring competition while Stirland, already a world champion, ended an excellent year with success in the ladies light continuous section.

Twelve year-old Stukaite won the girls 12 and under point sparring category, narrowly pipping 11 year-old clubmate Eva Andrulyte in a close fought final.

TASK medal winners, from the left, Eva Andrulyte, Skaiste Stukaite and Braydon Popat-Evans.

Both these girls are beginners to martial arts and this was the fourth time they had won through to face each other in a final.

Final TASK winner of the day was heavyweight champion Girdauskas and this was his third national title success of 2018 - all in his first year of competing.

Braydon Popat-Evans narrowly missed out on a title as he took the silver medal in the boys 13-16 light continuous competition and also won a bronze medal in the points sparring section.

“It was a tremendous day for the club and I was extremnely proud of all our fighters,” said Taylor.

“TASK (Taylor’s Academy of Sport Karate) has become the home of champions and I’m looking forward to helping more kickboxers to success in 2019.”

Anyone intersted in joining TASK can contact the club on 07708762352 or @taskmartialarts on social media.