The Holborn Tigers squad at the World Union of Martial Arts Federation’s second World Championships

THE tag of “underdogs” has been lost forever as a squad of mighty martial artists continue to “defy expectations” whenever they are given the opportunity to showcase their taekwondo skills.

In the past Master Rienzi Trento has been very vocal about his team of Holborn Tigers entering tournaments just to “have fun and gain vital experience”. But the 6th-dan black belt won’t be able to keep it a secret for much longer that his club is one to be reckoned with.

The Tigers roared back into action over the weekend when 16 emerging young talents from across Camden, Islington and Westminster took part in the World Union of Martial Arts Federation’s second World Championships event at the K2 leisure centre in Crawley.

On Saturday, the taekwondoists competed in the poomsae, otherwise known as patterns, in which a competitor is judged on their ability to perform a set sequence of movements. They then returned to the mats on Sunday to test their skills in the kyoru – the art of sparring.

And there were “tears, laughter, joy and happiness” as the triumphant team amassed a grand total of 18 medals – consisting of six golds, four silvers and eight bronzes.

“All of the students did fantastic, even better than I had expected,” said Master Rienzi, who lives in Somers Town.

Double world champion Maximilian Babak and sister Lilli who won a gold medal in Crawley

“There were tears, laughter, joy and happiness – we went through all the emotions together. It was such a great experience, all the kids and their parents will have taken so much away from the weekend.”

The star of the show was Maximilian Babak. The green belt with a blue stripe impressed onlookers, including experienced martial arts grandmasters, as he struck gold in both his competitions.

“To be able to call myself a double world champ makes me very proud,” said Maximilian, who lives in Soho and attends Soho Parish School. “I worked every day on the patterns and did my normal workout, like press-ups.

“The first day I won the patterns, I felt I was very well prepared and it was a lot of fun.

“The second day was fighting, and I had three qualification fights that I won, so I went to the final. Then I won the final to get my gold. It was a great competition and I had a great time.”

The eight-year-old also more than impressed his instructor. “Max was brilliant,” said Master Rienzi.

“He displayed great accuracy and timing, and picked his shots very well. He had to fight four different opponents and showed a tremendous ability to adapt, not only against each opponent, but also during each match as he faced different challenges. And he got his reward – he’s now a double world champion!”

The success was shared between siblings with Maximilian’s older sister, Lilli, marking her first fighting competition since earning her black belt by winning gold.

Proud dad Master Rienzi Trento with son Stephen after the 17-year-old returned home with bronze medals in the fighting and the patterns

The 10-year-old, who also attends Soho Parish School, certainly had her work cut out for her as she had to overcome a much taller, heavier opponent. “In my final match I had one of the toughest fights against a girl that was taller and 10kg heavier than me,” explained Lilli. “She felt so tall when I stood in front of her, but I was ready to take on the challenge.

“When the fight started I quickly read her fighting style and knew it was possible to win. She only got two points during the fight – I got six!

“It makes me so proud that I can call myself the world champion in the black belt class. I am also so happy for my brother about his amazing outcome.”

The Tigers also enjoyed plenty of success in the patterns, the highlight of which was gold medals for green belt Britney Gunarathna, 6, and green belt with a blue stripe Amelia Das, aged 9.

Master Rienzi added: “I want to give a special mention to Britney and Amelia, who both won gold in their patterns. Watching their performances was like watching swans gliding through a pond. They were mesmerising.”

Conquering the mats in Crawley sets the Tigers up perfectly to claw out further glory at the British Open Taekwondo Championships, which are being held in Manchester next month.

Master Rienzi said: “The success at the weekend will give us even more confidence going to Manchester.

“We will take a more relaxed approach in training this week as we want to take the opportunity to enjoy what we achieved in Crawley.

“Then we’ll start taking training more and more seriously the closer we get to the British Championships. I’d love to see all the students return home with a medal – who knows, maybe they’ll all come back with golds. Bring it on!”