PEJIC SETS THE GOLD STANDARD AS HE SECURES NATIONAL TITLE

STOKE City legend Mike Pejic has been crowned the first-ever British taekwondo champion in the 71-and-over category.

Pejic, who practises poomsae, has regularly been winning national titles in his age group over the last decade, but until this year there has been no older division beyond 66-and-over. That has led to many grand masters and senior masters hanging up their robes. But competitions across Britain have backed a drive to change that over the last few months and last week it was introduced at the National Championships, in Worcester, for the first time.

Pejic, aged 72, is the inaugural men’s champion while Jenny Furness (Ultimate Taekwondo) claimed the women’s honour.

“It’s a major breakthrough,” said Pejic. “It’s breaking barriers down and I want to thank people throughout the sport who have helped. We’ve had four out of the five competitions this year – at Harrogate, Liverpool, Cardiff and Manchester – have put on a 71-plus event and it’s ended up in the nationals. “There are many senior and grand masters who have retired because they have been unable to compete at that senior level and especially in today’s climate, when there is so much focus on mental and physical health, older competitors shouldn’t be forgotten.

“I have always maintained that it would be nice for the under-sevens, when they start, to see grand masters still competing and to learn from watching. It should be there for everybody.”

It’s not the final step, however, and the campaign continues to introduce over71 divisions at the European and World events – and also to bring in competitions for over-76s.

Pejic took up martial arts while he was coaching football in Kuwait in the 1990s and runs a taekwondo academy in Chesterton. He took a squad to compete in Worcester at the nationals and Theo Matthews returned with a gold while Maddison Elliot, Ethan Mcgarry, Maja Stobiecka, Izzy Mear, Ruby Bailey and Zia Mcgarry all picked up medals.