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By the 20th August all 36 members of the Australian Delegation had arrived in Minsk, Belarus for the World Championships. The delegation was made up of 4 junior competitors, 13 veteran competitors, 4 coaches, 3 officials & the remainder the ever important supporters.
For some this was their first International Tournament so along with the usual nerves accompanying any tournament, the unknown also added to the overall excitement & perhaps some uncertainty. After a short settling in & adjustment period, the team started training with 2 sessions daily as part of their final preparations. Registration, weigh-in, coaches meetings & umpire seminar were all finally completed & the first day of competition started, followed by a fantastic opening ceremony.
All the competitors put in a huge effort during the competition, remembering Australia is not often exposed to international competition so this further enhanced the effort the Aussies put in.
Our final medal tally was 16 medals: 7 gold, 3 silver & 6 bronze, giving Australia a very creditable position overall. Our thanks should go to the Belarusian Organising Committee for successfully hosting such a major event.
Competitors & coaches left with a feeling that Australia had performed well & already talk & plans are being made not only for the 17th Senior World Championships next year but also for the 10th Junior & 5th Veteran World Championships in 2012.
PATTERNS
George Andrijich, 3rd Dan, platinum class - gold
Cathy Cocks, 3rd Dan, gold class - gold
Pat McQueen, 3rd Dan, gold class - silver
Marian Andrijich, 3rd Dan, platinum class - gold
Daisy Rosenthal, 5th Dan, gold class - gold
Barry Judge, 1st Dan, gold class - bronze
Ian Graham, 2nd Dan, gold class - silver
Jason Bradley, 6th Dan, silver class - bronze
Edney Blackaby, 2nd Dan, gold class - gold
Philip Fitzgerald-Holmes, 5th Dan, gold class – gold
SPARRING
Ian Graham - bronze
Philip Fitzgerald-Holmes - silver
Cathy Cocks – gold
TEAM EVENTS
Female Veteran Patterns (Pat McQueen, Cathy Cocks, Marian Andrijich & Daisy Rosenthal) - bronze
Male Veteran Patterns (Philip Fitzgerald-Holmes, Anthony Lucas, Ian Graham & Jason Bradley) - bronze
Female Veteran Sparring (Pat McQueen, Cathy Cocks, Annette Koenders & Daisy Rosenthal) - bronze