Coventry lecturer to Karate Champion
By Maddy Griffiths @journomaddy
A lecturer from Coventry University has represented England at the Karate World Championships in Budapest.
Joby Wilson has been an Assistant Lecturer in Sports Therapy since September 2019.
He also coaches’ karate and manages two sports injury clinics, all while pursuing his competitive martial arts career.
The Karate World Championships, which took place at the end of October, marked Toby’s debut on the global stage.
Prior to this, the lecturer has represented England in two European Championships and The Commonwealth Games 2022 in the Midlands.
Joby Wilson at The Commonwealth Games 2022, held in Birmingham (CREDIT: Joby Wilson)
The 27-year-old said: “Outside of the Olympics, this is the biggest thing for me. I actually was in the 2020 Olympics trials but was unfortunately taken out and actually lost the vote to get me back for 2028 Olympics in America,”
The Karate World Championships marks Joby's first selection for an individual sport at the senior level.
Joby fought “match after match” across the country to prepare for Budapest (CREDIT: Facebook/Joby Wilson).
Whilst Joby was unsuccessful at gaining a medal in Budapest, he has no doubt that he pushed harder with training than ever before.
“I’m gutted that those performances didn’t carry over and the version of me that appeared at the competition did not reflect the fighter from those other events. It’s better to have tried and failed,” Mr Wilson added.
The Karate World Championships was Joby’s 15th international competition (CREDIT: Joby Wilson).
While The World Championships posed new challenges for the lecturer, including competing in a lower weight, he completed an intensified training plan in the run-up to the event.
He added: “I actually had around 5 competitions throughout September to the beginning of October anywhere from Dublin to Cyprus. So, it's been constant, but some good results along the way,”
The Karate World Championships Day 2 (CREDIT: YouTube).
Joby took a break and put his lecturing on hold to prepare for the event but continued to train locally in Coventry and Northampton.
“Juggling both lecturing and training has been a challenge. I’ve learned to squeeze it all in so I can have two sessions a day, catch constant aeroplanes and everything else to get me here.” Mr Wilson added.
Listen below:
The Coventry University Karate Club formed four years ago thanks to the help of the lecturer’s support.
The society recently had their first competition of the semester for the East Midlands Open. The team won two gold, one silver and nine bronze medals.
Sam Mercer, the club captain, is proud of his former coach for continuing to reach Global Championship level and is thankful for his continued support.
“Everyone on the team has worked extremely hard in such a short amount of time. There have been lot of brilliant performances, but a lot to work on for the next one,” the second-year student said.
The Coventry University Karate Club demonstrating their skills at Fresher’s Fair 2023 (CREDIT: Instagram)
“We are all so happy for Joby and grateful for him helping every single one of the team. We’re now back to the dojo to train hard ready for the next competition.” the club captain added.
Click here to learn more about Karate training and competitions for Coventry University students.
Alongside being a Coventry University student, what is one skill you would want to be at a professional level for?
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Author: @journomaddy
I will be available to answer any questions relating to this story.