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A Falkirk Council worker has won a gold medal at a national karate event.

Lisa McGuckin – who works as an Advisor in the Denny Hub – scooped top prize in the Female Kata (KA19) category at the British Karate Four Nations Championships last weekend (25-26 May).

Kata is a Japanese word describing detailed patterns of choreographed movements, and is also used to describe a competitive, non-contact version of karate. It is scored by five judges on aspects such as technical difficulty and athleticism.

Lisa started karate aged 8, taking a break from the sport whilst attending university. When her three sons – Ryan, Kyle and Sam – took up karate, Lisa wanted to lead by example in the competitive circuit.

The family trains together at FJK Karate in Denny, under the tutelage of instructor Craig Penman. Craig’s son won a bronze medal at the same British Karate event.

Speaking of her success, Lisa said:

“It’s my sixth tournament this year and I’m just over the moon to have won gold.

“I started competing again to help my club’s kata students into kata competition. So hopefully this will have inspired them!

“I just want to say thank you to my dad for his support, and also thanks to our coach Craig, who puts so much effort into our club.”

The British Karate Federation event saw over one thousand competitors from across the UK take part at the Morningside Arena in Leicester, England.