Three wrestlers took part in a very large international wrestling tournament over the weekend in Helsinki, Finland as part of the elite Wrestling Northern Ireland Squad.

All three competed in the Under-18 category and put some very good performances together after a very long break from competitions due to the current health situation.

It has been more than two years since Darragh Love and Charlotte McGuigan have competed, and three years for Matthew Crozier, as he missed the year before due to an injury.

This event is at a very high level and how they would perform was really an unknown. All three stepped up and did themselves, their club and the whole community very proud. Darragh and Charlotte are from Enniskillen, while Matthew is from Kesh.

Matthew started off with two tough matches against opponents from Finland and Latvia who ultimately went on to win the tournament, but that left Matthew knocked out of the tournament.

Many lessons were learned about position, strategy and things that need to be worked on, going forward.

He is focused and always willing to put the hard work in to succeed.

Charlotte also had a couple of very tough matches and was able to squeeze out the bronze medal as a great result for her. It was an excellent experience for Charlotte as she also continues on her coaching path at the club and her UK referee qualifications with her competing regime.

Darragh was the outstanding wrestler of the day for Northern Ireland. Any category between 70kg and 80kg is generally regarded as the toughest around the world.

Darragh has prepared for this even during the lockdown periods with a super dedication to learning and fitness.

Training smart, eating well and taking care of his body and mind resulted in a fantastic gold medal match against a very skilled wrestler from Israel on Saturday in the final.

Darragh took charge of the match from the very beginning with stand-up control and lightning fast attacks to get his opponent to the ground.

Then Darragh controlled him from the top and turned his opponent to his back for more points along the way.

A decisive win

It was a decisive win, and wrestlers from around the world will take notice.

All three of these wrestlers have also completed the UK Level 1 coaching certification for wrestling this year, further demonstrating their commitment to the sport of Olympic Wrestling and helping their club and community.

Training continues for these wrestlers along with the rest of the Erne Wrestling squad and Omagh MMA squad at least three nights a week at the Southwest Academy of Sport in the Creamery Business Park, Irvinestown.

Training camps and sessions will be open to all, so keep a close eye on the Erne Wrestling Facebook page to keep up to date.