VETERAN martial artist Jason McKay started coaching in 2009 and made history two years later when Sheckema Cunningham became the first Jamaican to win a sparring medal at the International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF) World Championships, landing bronze in New Zealand.

Taking on triple duties of male combined team captain, manager and female coach, McKay defied the odds with spectacular results before relinquishing the reins of captaincy to Nicholas Dusard.

Operating mainly as a masters fighter and female coach, McKay has had a golden run this season, describing 2016 as his “dream year”.

His biggest achievement was coaching Subrina Richards to historic double gold medals at two major tournaments — the May 18-22 International Sports Kickboxing Association Amateur Member Association World Championships in Stuttgart, Germany, and July’s United States Open in Orlando, Florida.

McKay’s dream run included gold and silver medals won by Under-21s Tahj Hewitt and Joshane Thompson, respectively, in the -70kg sparring division at the June 18-22 ITF Pan-Am Championships in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

He also brought out the best in veteran female fighter Cunningham, coming off an injury layoff to win two gold medals at the United States Open, winning clash sparring at the expense of teammate Marissa Jones, who McKay afterwards coached to victory at the fifth Taekwon-do ITF Africa Cup in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, last month.

Leading a two-member team to Ethiopia, McKay added a second gold when Dusard won in middleweight black belt sparring.

Reflecting on his coaching exploits this year, McKay said his success has had his peers prompting him to delve full time into instructing and retire as a fighter.

“I really love competing so that’s going to be a tough call,” he said. “However, when I tell people that coaching these kids is no problem because I maintain that they come to me great, so I am truly blessed.

“What has really worked is the structure of the training, a major thrust towards aerobic and anaerobic preparation. It has really borne fruit.

“This approach to fight preparation was not around when I was being coached and it took a lot to get the athletes and other instructors and assistant coaches to buy into it,” he added.

Will he retire as a fighter anytime soon?

“Maybe sooner, maybe later,” he responded.

McKay is scheduled to end his coaching season with a six-man squad to the New York Open later this month.