Tremendous year for young wrestling star
It has been another momentous year for young Luddendenfoot wrestler Danoush Jowkar.
The 16-year-old has enjoyed great success in top level competitions but also found time to pass his GCSEs at Calder High and begin studying a BTEC in Sport, Fitness and Personal Training at Burnley College. His commitment to training 10 times a week in Manchester and Burnley College has paid off in competitions, where he has won notable medals.
The year began with a bronze medal in an international tournament in Bordeaux, in February, before Danoush celebrated a superb gold in the English Championships, during early March.
Just a couple of weeks later, Danoush was one of the 2,000 wrestlers who travelled to the Tallinn Open, in Estonia, the biggest tournament in Europe, and came away with a silver medal.
April was marked by a bronze medal in Austria, at the Flatz Open, before Danoush returned to home soil to win another gold, this time in the British Championships, last May.
That gave the youngster a big boost ahead of the European Championships, held in Tirana, Albania, where
Danoush finished seventh. He defeated opponents from Austria and Poland before losing out to eventual podium finishers from Armenia and Azerbaijan in an outstanding result for a British wrestler.
In August, Danoush was the sole British athlete at the World Championships, in Istanbul, but once again produced a sensational display to finish 10th in a field representing no fewer than 27 countries.
Danoush switched to club duties in September, competing for his German club in the German Senior League, and won both of his two matches to remain unbeaten. Danoush is still the youngest non-German wrestler in the senior league.
In September, Danoush won gold medals in two international tournaments in Germany before he marked the first official UWW tournament in the UK for more than 10 years by winning another gold in the UK Grand Prix, in Manchester.
Arguably the best result of the year came a fortnight ago when Danoush scooped bronze in the Tahsil Tournament in Azerbaijan, where 28 of the world’s best wrestlers were competing.