MISFORTUNE and mishap could not deny Barrow martial artist Ella Comish a double medal haul at the WOMAA World Championships in Germany.

The 12-year-old Dowdales pupil almost missed the plane to the World Organisation of Martial Arts Athletes tournament after a car breakdown on the way to the airport.

But she managed to reach Munich in time and her efforts paid off with gold and silver success.

Comish already had medals from the English Championships – where she fought bigger and older opponents to win the title – and the Northern Open, and had put in hard work to prepare for Germany.

Training at Barrow Karate Club, alongside brothers Oliver and Riley under the guidance of Lee Smith, as well as at the Dojo, she was picked as part of the England squad for the 16-nation competition.

She started off in the points fighting kickboxing, where she was competing in the 12 to 14-year-old 58kg and under category – though she had to weigh in and was asked if she was in the right category as she was more than 20kg lighter than the maximum weight.

Points fighting is not Comish’s favourite discipline, but after showing her kicking skills she reached the final against the English and British champion.

She managed to keep the points close, but was eventually beaten 6-2 to take silver.

The second day of competition put Comish in the kata event, where she was required to demonstrate her skills and techniques in a routine – something she started only four weeks earlier.

The Barrow youngster was in the 12 and under intermediate group and produced a routine as strong as any she has put on in practice. She scored quite highly among the judges, but some of the more experienced competitors edged her out of the medals.

The final event of Comish’s calendar was the karate kumite fighting, in the 12 and under class.

With no weight or height limit, the south Cumbrian ace was one of the smallest in the group, but that lack of height is made up with her amazing speed and kicking ability. She soon showed she was ready by winning her rounds in rapid time.

She came up against a much taller opponent in the semi-final and within two seconds of the fight starting had already landed a head kick, resulting in a two-point lead.

A few points to each fighter followed before Comish showed how good her kicks can be with two successive head shots to win the fight.

In the final against an English squad member, both fighters were quick around the mat, with Comish keeping her opponent at bay with her kicks with several going close to point-scoring range.

With 20 seconds to go, she moved in and landed four successive body shots to win 4-0 and pick up the world title.

Her dad Lee, who made the trip to Germany, said: “To think we almost missed this trip and then Ella comes away with two medals to make it all worthwhile.

“Ella trains really hard and is so focused on what she does. The first thing she did after every fight was go and shake the hand of her opponent and coach, she doesn’t walk around saying she’s won anything and is so shy that people are shocked to see that she can fight.

“We haven’t been to as many competitions this year due to the cost of travelling, competition fees and hotels every few weeks. She could have competed in Ireland in August and Orlando in September, but it’s just not possible.

“In the two competitions Ella has fought at her best, she has won and they were the English Open and Worlds.

“Most people say they can’t believe she’s 12, as most of her friends and team-mates are a lot taller, but when she can kick an adult in the head before you even see it coming then they realise her height means nothing!”

Comish hopes to compete next year at the World Championships in Dublin and also in competitions in Birmingham and possibly one in Barrow in October, so her family can get to see her compete.

She wants to move into weapons at competitions, along with more work on her kata and kumite.

Comish thanked Lee Smith, coaches Lauren and Tom and the England coach Steve Powell for all the help during her training.