The Mayor of South Dublin County Council Cllr Alan Edge held a reception at County Hall, Tallaght on the 7th of February 2024 to celebrate world champion Shauna Bannon’s recent gold medal win at the International Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Federation World Championships. Shauna emerged triumphant in the women’s Master 1, purple belt, 147 lb (66kg) category.
Shauna was joined by family, friends and Tallaght Martial Arts teammates as the Mayor congratulated Shauna and presented her with a framed certificate of achievement and a bouquet of flowers on behalf of South Dublin County Council’s elected members.
Speaking at the presentation Mayor Alan Edge said “It was a great pleasure to welcome Shauna to County Hall, to celebrate her achievements. Shauna is a remarkable individual and now a local hero, who has brought pride and recognition to our community through her many achievements. Shauna’s dedication has led her to become a world champion in 3 sports; kickboxing, MMA & Jiu Jitsu also holding two black belts all while juggling life as a single parent to her son Jayce.”
Shauna is a highly accomplished athlete in the world of kickboxing, MMA and Jiu Jitsu. She holds the title of seven-time World Association of Kickboxing Organisation champion and is a six-time European champion. She was signed by the UFC in June of 2023, and a month later she became the second Irish woman to fight in the UFC. Shauna’s most recent victory took place at the International Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Federation World Championships last year, where she emerged triumphant in the women’s Master 1, purple belt, 147 lb (66kg) category. She competed against Jessica Claire Elizabeth Kleinbart and secured the top position – the first ever Tallaght person to achieve this. At this competition she had three matches, with two submissions and no points awarded against her.
The Mayor, Cllr Alan Edge closed the presentation saying “We would like to express our support for Shauna as she continues to represent Tallaght and South Dublin at the highest level of her sport. We will be cheering her on for many years to come.”
