SEVEN competitors from the Bradford area have helped Horizon Taekwondo Academy to finish an impressive ninth out of 69 teams at the British National Taekwondo Championships at Manchester Velodrome.

Cullingworth's Ellie Bowden took gold in the cadet advanced, there were silvers for Baildon's Zak Spencer (children advanced), Cottingley's Paige Harris (children novice), Bradford's Hannah Perry (cadet novice) and Silsden's Charlotte Banks (junior novice) and bronzes for Silsden's Jamie Simpson-Kidd (cadet advanced) and Shipley's Emily Owen (children novice).

Horizon won three golds, five silvers and four bronzes to be the top club in West Yorkshire, ahead of Black Widow (Wakefield), Premier (Huddersfield), All Stars (Leeds) and Team (Halifax) in a championships that over 700 individuals entered.

It was a deserved breakthrough for Ellie, who had finished third, third and second in the previous three years, losing in the last two nationals to Jeamy Navarro (BTS Southampton).

However, Ellie got the better of her 6-1 in the semi-finals before defeating Scotland's Lauren McKinley 8-1.

Delighted coach Rick Simpson said: "This could be a turning point for Ellie, who has been training with us since 2005."

Cullingworth's Hannah Priestley was a quarter-finalist in the cadet advanced.

Simpson added: "To finish so high up as a team is phenomenal, especially considering that 12 of our 17 players were making their debut at such a big event."