Fighters from Alexandria Kickboxing Academy took home 11 medals from the World Championships in Wales - where they represented Scotland.
James Young took a double gold as he became a WKA World Champion, with Olivia Weatherall, Grace Wallace, Lochlan Peddie-Temple, Stewart Smillie and Cairn Lynch all ranked second in the world.
Aaron Rennie finished fourth - and was unfortunate to lose out to the new World Champion, whilst para-fighter John Sutherland won his demo bout - catching the eye of some of the world’s best kickboxers.
And proud coach Stewart Smillie hailed all of his fighters for their effort.
He said: “James Young getting a double gold is absolutely ridiculous. He got 10 points clear of his opponent in both fights. If you get 10 points clear then you instantly win the fight.
“The biggest fight he could do all year, and he won it by 10 points. There’s nothing else he could’ve done. You can’t get a higher result than that.
“He was absolutely outstanding. He’s now joined the coaching team at the club, so we’ll be bringing all his knowledge and expertise onboard. The rest of our fighters will be able to experience the way he trains, and get all the hints and tips he’s learned over the years.
“Olivia just missed out on a 10 clear in her semi-final, scoring 21-13. Which is a huge result.
“She’s been grafting like crazy, doing her own form of sponsorship and doing 100 machine gun kicks a day - where you stand on one leg and don’t put your foot down. Which is insane.
“It’s helped her with her leg strength, but she did it for sponsorship as well to push towards getting funding for her place in the squad."
Grace Wallace, who qualified after winning gold in the South Tyneside Open in June, won her final by 10 clear points (15-5) - meaning she now holds second in the world for two different age groups and weights.
Stewart continued: "After only training for a short time it was an amazing achievement for Grace.
“Lochlan had a fighter pull out in the semi-final just as he was about to fight.
“He got a close silver as well, but he was only a few points behind.
“These are some of the best fighters in the whole world and he’s ranked as number two.
“Cairn didn’t manage to get the gold, but took silver. It was one of the most entertaining fights in the whole tournament, the whole place was up screaming and shouting. It was a really tight, close technical match.
“He does continuous kickboxing which is more similar to boxing, where you can jab crosshooks, uppercuts and things like that. But you can also kick above the waist.
“The ruleset is very similar to a boxing match where you are fighting continuously and don’t stop.
“It was really exciting and action packed. It was the best fight of the day.
“It was Aaron’s first World Championships and only his fourth ever tournament. It was really exciting for him to experience.
“He placed fourth, so only just missed out on a medal because he came up against the boy who turned out to be world champion.
“He will have learned plenty from coming up against such an experienced fighter.”
And Stewart reserved praise for para-fighter John, eight, who was left visually impaired with paralysis of his right side, hearing problems and language delay disorder after falling critically ill before his first birthday.
He spent six weeks in hospital after suffering Meningococcal Septicaemia which then caused a stroke.
The stroke left him with paralysis of his right side and severe visual impairments, whilst he lost his hearing due to meningitis and didn’t speak until he turned five.
However the Tyson Fury inspired youngster refused to let it prevent him living his dream.
Stewart explained: “John was up showcasing his skills in front of all the best in the world, and he managed to get a 7-6 win against his opponent.
“He’s absolutely buzzing with his wee medal.
“He got to go down to Wales to fight and be in amongst the best kickboxers in the world. To stand up in front of all them and do what he does was incredible.
“The whole crowd was in tears.
“We had a 76 strong squad of Scottish fighters. And every single one of them was around the sidelines screaming for John.
“It was absolutely mental. All the parents were crying and saying how amazing he was.”
