A LOCAL kickboxing club has a new world kickboxing champion.

Kirsten Barrett of Peak Performance in Helensburgh won the WKA World Championships held in Wales last week. 

The prestigious event lasted five days, with competitors from all over the world coming together to compete in K1, low kick, points and continuous sparring.

Kirsten lost out in the points final to a very experienced opponent to take the silver medal then went on to vent her frustration to take home a solid gold in the continuous sparring. 

A very aggressive opponent pushed her all the way but Kirsten’s ring craft and experience made it a comfortable win.

Meanwhile, Finn McQuade was competing in the K1 division list in the final fight, taking home the silver medal.

Unfortunately for Finn, he was knocked out in the second round and suffered a concussion and a black eye. 

A spokesperson added: “It was a great performance from Finn but there’s got to be a winner in the fight game and this time it wasn’t to be. It was still an amazing fight to watch; both refusing to move backwards led to a great fight, a crowd pleaser.”