Congratulations to Eleanor Poels, who has been nominated for Sporting Hero in this year’s Community Pride Awards.
The award will recognise an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to local sport.
Eleanor said she first started karate after moving to York from Carlisle in 2012.
“I was always an active kid,” she said. “It was just something fun.”
After gaining her first black belt aged nine, the All Saints School pupil has continued to find her footing in the sport.
She recently struck gold at the 2023 Karate Union of Great Britain National Championships on April 22, after winning the Junior Ladies Kumite category and taking home the Most Outstanding Junior Competitor Award.
Eleanor took to the competition’s podium in Nottingham after landing the highest accolade in the combat element of karate for the second year in a row.
She was said to have fought with "grit and determination" to secure the win.
At the time, Eleanor said: “I’ve recently moved up an age category so I knew that I’d be up against some really tough competition.
"Each stage of the competition brought many challenges, but the cheers from my teammates helped spur me on and I couldn’t be more pleased with my gold win.”
Further successes by Eleanor include winning gold for the Girls Kumite at the 2022 Karate Union of Great Britain National Championships, gold for the Cadet Ladies Team Kumite at the 2022 World Shotokan Karate-do Association World Championships and silver in both the Cadet and Junior Ladies Team Kumite at the 2022 European Shotokan Karate-do Association European Championships.
Eleanor is part of York Elite and trains twice a week at the city’s Railway Institute and at Burnholme Community Centre.
On her training, Eleanor said: “It’s intense but enjoyable. The coaches are really lovely people.” Eleanor gave thanks to her coaches Harry Cuddy and Rob McCartney.
Looking to the future, Eleanor is busy training for an upcoming national competition and will also compete abroad.
Outside of karate she plans to go to university and study English literature.
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