ÓRAN Brady is ready for a new challenge after signing off on his junior kickboxing days in style.

The Bantry teenager (18) was a man on a mission at the WAKO Youth European Championships in Jesolo, Italy.

Crowned double world champion in 2024, he dominated both the -84kg junior light contact and kick light categories. It’s why ION Kickboxing Club star Óran was the number one ranked fighter going into the Europeans – and he didn’t disappoint.

‘I won gold in both the -84kg light contact and kick light again,’ he smiled, unfazed by the expectation that followed the double world champ.

‘It’s there, but I feel I perform my best when I’m under pressure. It doesn’t bother me – it drives me on instead,’ he added, recalling a conversation with a few of his KBI Irish Kickboxing team-mates.

‘When we landed over before the competition started, a few of us were having food, and they were saying “you’ll head back with gold anyway”. But if it was only that easy!

‘There’s a lot of unseen work that takes me to the position where I’m competing for medals.’

Óran Brady on his way to European gold. (Photo: Liz White)

Current West Cork Sports Star Paudie Palmer Youth Award winner Óran has seen it all at junior level, so he takes whatever comes in his stride.

‘I know I’ve done all this before – there’s nothing new – so I can lean on my previous experiences. I know never to get carried away, to always stay grounded and focused on the next fight – that has to be the approach,’ he said, and it worked in Italy.

At the Europeans, he powered through the rounds in both light contact and kick light. In the former, he won every fight by unanimous decision, including the final against Great Britain’s Matthew Neptune. The same two also faced off in the kick light final – and again, Óran won unanimously. Brilliantly dominant.

‘He is a very good fighter, has a strong leg, but I knew once I got inside his range I could pick him off,’ Óran explained, as his medal collection swelled.

He is now a double-double champion, winning world and European junior titles in two different disciplines (-84kg). The Coláiste Pobail Bheanntraí Leaving Cert student also has a bronze medal from the 2022 Worlds (older cadet, +69kg) and a European silver in 2023. Add six World Cup titles – from competitions in Italy (3), Hungary (2) and Turkey – and that’s 12 major medals, plus numerous national crowns.

Proud mom Doreen with her sons Sean, Oisin and Óran. (Photo: Liz White)

‘That’s not the norm,’ explained his coach and dad, Bernard Brady.

‘Óran has won major medals in three different disciplines – full contact in the ring, and light contact and kick light on the mat.

‘Often, someone is a light contact fighter or a points fighter, but he has won in all three.’

Óran’s not getting carried away. ‘If you had told me at the back end of 2023, when I had six international fights and lost four of them, that I would only lose one fight in the next two years, I wouldn’t have believed you,’ he said.

‘I entered light contact junior -84kg, and have never lost a fight in it. One of my goals was to be consistent, and I think I have been. I’ve only ever lost one kick light fight at junior.’

Given his dominance at junior level, Óran now needs a new challenge – and that’s coming when he steps up to the senior ranks in 2026.

‘I need a new challenge,’ he said, ‘so I’ll be up with the big boys! But it’s quite a big step up, to be fair.

‘I fought senior three times this year, and fought the number one ranked guy in the world in kickboxing and taekwondo – I went toe to toe with him.

‘I’m not going to senior to win straight away. 

‘It’s a process – a challenge to get on the podium. I want to push on for the next few years and see where we go.’