Key Points
- The two athletes from Mains Martial Arts Academy, which operates from Neath Abbey, have clinched gold medals at the 10th ITF Taekwon-Do World Cup in Benidorm, Spain.
- Jacob Wyatt secured a gold medal in the Male 12–14 Sparring 1st–3rd Dan over 65 kg.
- Kelsey Davies clinched a gold medal in the Female 15–17 Sparring 4th–1st Gup over 65 kg.
- The bronze medal was awarded to Betti-Mia Aprea of Mains Martial Arts Academy.
- The academy dispatched four athletes to represent Wales in the competition, and they were Jacob Wyatt, Kelsey Davies, Betti-Mia Aprea, and Ocean Ferron-Hicks.
- The World Cup event was held in Benidorm between 28 September and 4 October 2026 and featured athletes from 57 nations.
- The club was founded in 2016 and is managed by the founder and coach of the Welsh national ITF team, Lauren Main.
Wales (Wales Times) October 12, 2026 — Two fighters from a Neath Abbey Taekwon-Do club have become world champions after winning gold medals at the ITF Taekwon-Do World Cup in Benidorm, while a third teammate returned home with bronze.
As reported by uk/local/swansea/">Swansea Bay News, Jacob Wyatt and Kelsey Davies of Mains Martial Arts Academy won sparring titles at the World Cup, with Betti-Mia Aprea taking a bronze medal. The results marked a major international achievement for the Neath Abbey club, which had sent four athletes to compete for Wales in Spain.
Which Neath Abbey athletes won World Cup medals?
Jacob Wyatt won gold in the Male 12–14 Sparring 1st–3rd Dan over 65 kg category. ITF Europe listed him among the Day 3 European gold medallists, recording his result as a Welsh gold for Mains Martial Arts Academy.
Kelsey Davies won gold in the Female 15–17 Sparring 4th–1st Gup over 65 kg division. Her victory appeared in ITF Europe’s complete European medal list for the final day and overall results of the 10th ITF Taekwon-Do World Cup.
Betti-Mia Aprea secured bronze for the Neath Abbey academy. ITF Europe’s Day 3 results listed Aprea Betti-Mia of Mains Martial Arts Academy as a bronze medallist.
The fourth member of the club’s World Cup team, Ocean Ferron-Hicks, also travelled to Benidorm to represent Wales. Swansea Bay News reported before the tournament that Ferron-Hicks was a European bronze medallist, while Wyatt was a European champion and European silver medallist, Aprea was a European silver medallist, and Davies was making her first appearance at a major international championship.
What did the World Cup in Benidorm involve?
The 10th ITF Taekwon-Do World Cup was held at the Palau d’Esports l’Illa de Benidorm in Alicante, Spain. Official event information listed the competition dates as 28 September to 3 October 2026, while Benidorm’s tourism listing described the wider event period as running until 4 October.
The tournament attracted competitors, coaches, referees and officials from 57 countries across five continents. Spanish newspaper Diario Información reported that the opening ceremony was attended by more than 3,500 people and that the championship included 2,680 athletes, 259 teams and 5,671 entries across its categories and disciplines.
Swansea Bay News reported that Mains Martial Arts Academy’s four athletes were competing among 2,681 athletes from 57 countries. The event featured ITF Taekwon-Do disciplines including sparring and patterns, also known as tul.
How did Mains Martial Arts reach the World Cup?
Mains Martial Arts Academy is based in Neath Abbey and was opened in 2016. According to Swansea Bay News, the club teaches taekwon-do, kickboxing and fitness to children and adults of all abilities.
The World Cup team was coached by club founder Lauren Main, who also serves as the Welsh national ITF team coach. Before the competition, Main said that taking four athletes from the academy in Neath to the World Cup was an “incredibly proud moment”.
The club’s official website describes Mains Martial Arts as a martial arts school in Neath, located on Monastery Road. Its participation in Benidorm followed a wider period of success for Swansea Bay martial arts clubs at international level; Swansea Bay News noted that Team Wales returned from Rhodes with 12 gold medals in 2024.
What do the results mean for the club?
The two gold medals and one bronze gave Mains Martial Arts Academy three podium finishes at the World Cup. ITF Europe’s final medal list recorded three Welsh gold medallists overall, including Kelsey Davies of Mains Martial Arts Academy alongside Katie Jones of Ne-Sport Taekwon-Do Club and another Welsh competitor.
For the Neath Abbey club, the results confirmed the progress of its young competitive squad on one of ITF Taekwon-Do’s largest international stages. The World Cup brought together thousands of participants and supporters, with Benidorm’s official tourism body describing the event as a major international sports tourism occasion for the city.
The achievement also followed the club’s earlier international representation. Swansea Bay News reported that three of the four Mains Martial Arts athletes had already won medals at European level before travelling to Spain.
Background of the development
The ITF Taekwon-Do World Cup is a major international competition organised under the International Taekwon-Do Federation. The 2026 edition was the 10th World Cup and was hosted in Benidorm by España ITF Taekwon-Do under the supervision of Master Paco Ferrando, according to ITF Europe.
The competition was staged at the Palau d’Esports l’Illa de Benidorm, with official event documents identifying the venue in Benidorm, Alicante. The event ran across late September and early October and included individual and team events across age groups and grades.
Mains Martial Arts Academy entered the tournament with a team of four Welsh representatives. Swansea Bay News identified them as Jacob Wyatt, Betti-Mia Aprea, Ocean Ferron-Hicks and Kelsey Davies, with Lauren Main coaching the group. The club’s results in Benidorm added world-level honours to its existing European medal record.
Prediction: What could this mean for Neath Abbey martial arts?
For local martial arts students and families in Neath Abbey, the World Cup results are likely to raise the profile of Mains Martial Arts Academy and demonstrate that international success is achievable from a community club. The medals may encourage more children and adults in the Neath Port Talbot area to take up taekwon-do, kickboxing or fitness training at the academy.
For Welsh ITF Taekwon-Do, the results strengthen the case for continued investment in coaching, competition experience and youth development. Jacob Wyatt and Kelsey Davies both won in junior age categories, suggesting that Wales has emerging athletes capable of competing successfully against international opposition.
For the athletes themselves, world titles can provide a platform for future national team selection, European championships and further international competition. Their success may also inspire other Swansea Bay clubs, following the region’s recent record of sending competitors to world-level taekwon-do events.
