Deirdre Begley targets podium at Kickboxing World Championships

Irish kickboxer Deirdre Begley has targeted a podium finish at this weekend’s world championships in Dublin. It is the first time the competition is in Ireland and Begley, who came third in the World Cup in June, would love to secure a medal in front of a home crowd.

“I want a good performance,” she said. “I’ve put in a lot of work and I know I’ve improved a lot since I last competed. A podium finish is the aim.”

Begley had an accidental introduction to the sport. “I started kickboxing when I was eight by pure chance. I used to do cross-country running and we started training indoors. One evening my mom was late collecting me and I just saw them kickboxing and said why not, I’d give it a go.”