The Holborn Tigers taekwondo team that took part in the Dr Park Cha Sok Inaugural Memorial Cup on Sunday in Stoke Mandeville

THE sports hall erupted in cheers and energy after top taekwondo talent Maximilian Babak “showed the eye of the tiger” to strike gold in his latest competition.

The 10-year-old red belt, who grew up in Soho, was among the Holborn Tigers team that competed in the Dr Park Cha Sok Inaugural Memorial Cup on Sunday in Stoke Mandeville.

Overall, 11 fighters from the club battled it out in Buckinghamshire, bringing home 12 medals for their efforts.

And among them was Maximilian’s mighty triumph, which saw him get the better of his black belt opponent after emerging victorious following a tense “golden point” round.
Master Rienzi Trento explained: “Max put in a fantastic performance against a talented and more experienced fighter.

“He narrowly lost the first round by just two points but then won the second round 15-7, which took the contest to a golden point, which is where the first fighter to score two points wins.

Maximilian Babak, 10, with older sister Lilli, 12

“You could see that Max had worked out his opponent and had started anticipating his moves.

“As the pressure grew, so did Max’s focus, and he landed a perfect roundhouse kick to take the gold. Max really showed the eye of the tiger, and it was without doubt one of the fights of the tournament.”

Revealing how the mind games started before a single punch or kick had been thrown, Maximilian said: “Before the final the other fighter came over and said ‘I know all of your tactics’ – I looked at him and said, ‘are you sure?’. I think that he wanted to scare me, but it did not work.

“It was an intense fight. After the first round I understood what he was trying to do and I knew how to stop him.

“The fight was decided by a golden point, which made me a bit nervous. But to win it felt so good, everybody was screaming and shouting my name. It looks like he didn’t know my tactics after all. I’m happy I won another gold.”

Para fighter Elias Kahn with the Tigers’ second-placed team trophy

Maximilian’s older sister, Lilli, also returned home with a gold medal. But that was just the start of the 12-year-old’s celebrations as she was also presented with two certificates from one of taekwondo’s hall-of-famers, Grandmaster Ansar Mahmood, acknowledging Lilli’s tremendous journey to becoming a black belt.

“The contests in the black belt category were really intense and full of good fighters. I am so glad I won gold,” said Lilli. “I am also so proud to have been given two black belt certificates, awarded to me from South Korea from Grandmaster Ansar.”

The Tigers continued to roar, with blue belt Ekai Tan, 9, and blue belt with a red stripe Mya Durgahee, 10, both striking gold.

Clubmates Yesemay Desta Young, 10, and Luna Sousa Chambers, 8, who both hold yellow belts with a green stripe, scooped silver medals in their respective categories, while Samuel Plamada, 9, and Elias Khan, 10, who are both green belts with a blue stripe, bagged bronze medals.

‘Elated’ Master Rienzi Trento receives his 7th Dan certificate from Grandmaster Ansar Mahmood

Reinforcing Holborn Tigers’ bright future, three young fighters marked their competitive debuts by adding to the club’s honours list.

White belt with a yellow stripe, Kamila Zelazko, 10, won a gold medal. There was double delight for green belt Melissa Achaiban, 9, who collected a bronze, before returning to the mats to take part in a second contest against a much more experienced opponent, where she won a silver medal.

Yellow belt Adam Testore, 9, also enjoyed a day to remember as he earned a bronze.

It was a medal haul that didn’t go unnoticed, with Holborn Tigers being awarded a special team trophy after finishing in second place in the final standings.

Perhaps some of the loudest cheers were saved for Master Rienzi, who received his 7th Dan from Grandmaster Ansar.

With more than 40 years’ experience under his belt, Master Rienzi, who lives in Somers Town, said: “I’m absolutely elated. Almost speechless. It feels like I only started five minutes ago, but I’m thrilled to finally earn my 7th Dan.”