Gold medal heaven for Livingston kickboxer

Dec 1 2011 by Kieran Westbrook, West Lothian Courier

KICKBOXING mum Kirsty Crookston has added the Scottish Championship to her European Title – just months after making her competitive debut.

The Livingston martial artist, who only returned to the sport earlier this year after having a baby, fought through the pain barrier to clinch the gold medal in the Scottish Championships, carrying an injury to her torso she had picked up during her Euro adventure.

She came away with the Scottish Champion title as well as winning gold in the Light Contact +65kg.

And after excelling in the Light Contact category, Kirsty told Courier Sport she is now eyeing a move into the ferocious Full Contact.

She said: “It’s been an incredible year for me.

“I only started taking part in competitions this year after having a baby in August last year.

“I want to move into Full Contact and that’s what I’ve started training for.

“It’s more intense and more demanding and that’s where I want to be.”

Kirsty, 23, who trains with SACMA (Scottish Academy of Chinese Martial Arts) at Inveralmond High School, was called up to the Scotland squad to travel to Venice to compete in the European Championships in October.

She took on fellow Scot Amanda Young in the final and was winning convincingly before suffering an injury to her torso.

And after only moments to recover, she was back in battling for the win.

She said: “My trainer told me to stay away from her and see out the win. But I went for it instead. It might not have been the right thing to do, but I got the win and that was the main thing.”

As well as claiming gold in the Ladies -66kg Light Contact category, she also came away with third in the Ladies Semi Contact section.

Kirsty first pulled on her punching gloves before she had even reached her 12th birthday.

She trained with the Cobra Club in Livingston before making the move to SACMA. She took time away from kickboxing when she fell pregnant and only returned to the sport earlier this year.

Now that she has tasted medal success, Kirsty (below) is training towards the British Championships before preparing herself for the World Championships which take place in Ireland next October.

Kirsty’s employer Menzies Aviation generously funded the entire cost of her trip to the European Championships.

And she wanted to issue a thank you to them.

She said: “I wouldn’t have been able to go if it hadn’t been for my employer.

“I’m very grateful to them.”