A teenage karate competitor from Bangor has become the first junior European champion in the history of his local club, Mizukara Karate.

Harrison Stitt claimed the individual Wado-Ryu kata title at the WUKF European Championships held in Sheffield. The event attracted approximately 1,500 competitors from 21 European countries.

Mizukara Karate has operated for 30 years with clubs in Holywood, Ards, and Bangor. This is the first time one of its junior members has secured a European championship title.

Stitt performed the Jion kata in the opening round and then presented Wanshu in the final. Both are advanced senior katas, which he had been training on for months.

In the individual kumite event, Stitt lost his opening match by a single point. He then went on to compete in the team-rotation kumite.

His younger sister Helena also competed at the championships. She reached the fifth place in the kata competition, narrowly missing a medal. In the individual kumite, she advanced through three rounds before losing in the semi-final to a competitor from Romania, who went on to win the event. Helena received a bronze medal.

Mizukara coach David Brashaw said he was proud of the young athletes and that their performances were an inspiration to other club members. He noted that both contributed to the Irish team's medal tally, which helped the team achieve fifth place overall. He also confirmed that the club is keen to welcome new members and offers a free trial class.