Luddon Construction Proudly Sponsors Young Taekwondo Champion Lily Finch

Luddon Construction has announced its sponsorship of 10-year-old Taekwondo prodigy Lily Finch, providing vital support for her journey as a competitive athlete representing ITF Team Scotland. Lily, daughter of Luddon Construction Project Manager Peter Finch, has achieved remarkable success in Taekwondo, consistently excelling in national and international competitions despite her young age.

Lily’s request for sponsorship, highlighted the financial challenges faced by junior athletes in the sport. Unlike senior athletes, junior members of ITF Team Scotland do not receive Sport Scotland funding, leaving families to pay the significant costs associated with training, travel, accommodation, and entry fees for events.

Over the past few years, Lily has amassed an impressive collection of medals across various Taekwondo divisions, often competing against much older opponents. Her accomplishments include:

• Age 8: Bronze medals in the 2022 World Patterns Championship (Green Belt U10 Division) and ITF World Championships (Patterns and Sparring Blue Belt U10 Division).
• Age 9: Gold in the 2023 World Patterns Championship (Blue Belt U10 Division), multiple medals at the Chang Un International, and a series of gold and silver medals in the IOMAC International Series.
• Age 10: Three golds and one silver at a 2024 World Series event, all in U17 Divisions.

In recent weeks, Lily has competed in three international Taekwondo events, bringing home a fantastic nine medals for Team Scotland! Lily took part in event B of the VWC World series on June 20th, securing four medals: Silver in the U12 Open Form Advanced Division, Silver in the U12 Korean Form Advanced Division, Silver in the U17 Open Form Advanced Division, and Bronze in the U17 Korean Form Advanced Division. Added to her three golds and one silver from event A in March, this places Lily in the running for a possible grand champion title when she competes in event C of the series in August.

Lily went on to compete at the World Taekwondo Championships, hosted this year in Edinburgh on June 23rd, bringing home a bronze medal for individual patterns in the U13 Red Belt Division and a bronze medal in the U13 Team Sparring event.

Rounding off her series of events, Lily competed in the IOMAC International Patterns event on July 7th, bagging another three podium placings: Gold in the 10&U Open Forms Division, Gold in the 10&U Korean Forms Intermediate Division, and Silver in the 10&U Korean Forms Advanced Division.

Adding these events to her silver medal in April’s World Pattern Championships, this totals an impressive 14 international medals for Lily so far this year, and she is still working for more.

Selection events for the 2024 European Championships take place in August, and Lily is hoping to be selected again to represent the Scotland ITF team. Lily will also be competing in event C of the VWC World Series in August, chasing a grand champion title, the Chang Un International, and the Irish Open in Athlone in November.

Lily’s letter emphasised her rigorous training schedule and dedication to her sport, which includes club training three times a week and Scotland squad training every second Saturday. She also detailed her recent milestone of beginning her Black Belt training after passing her final colour belt grading.

Luddon Construction’s decision to sponsor Lily Finch reflects its commitment to community support and fostering young talent. As Lily continues to represent Scotland on the international stage, the company is proud to stand by her side, celebrating her achievements and dedication to excellence.