A TALENTED Kinver teen is celebrating after achieving a second place finish in the World Irish Dance Championships.

Molly Higgins, aged 17, finished runner-up in the under 18 age group category of the competition, held in Killarney, Ireland, over the weekend.

After not being able to compete in the 2016 World Championships due to injury, Molly, a student at the Kinver-based Katie Collins School of Irish Dance, said she was “thrilled” to get so high this year, beating off competition from all over the world, including Ireland, America and Hong Kong.

The teenager had previously been crowned European champion and Scottish champion in 2015, as well as making the top five in the British, Irish, All Ireland and World Championships multiple times.

Katie Collins School also saw student Alex Cole, from Stourbridge, achieve ninth place in the same category as Molly, while eight-year-old Seren Hudson, from Stourport, placed 6th in her age group, Amybea Garrett, aged 25 from Pensnett, also finished 6th in her category, while Amberley Curzon, a 19-year-old from Kidderminster, placed 18th.

School leader Katie Collins said: “I was so thrilled with all the dancers’ performances. They work so hard all year and the age groups are huge, so their results were just a testament to their hard work.

“The school has seen much success with our dancers winning several championships in solo classes, as well as team competitions, over the past five years.”

Katie currently holds classes five days a week in Kinver, Stourbridge and Kidderminster, and due to popular demand, is launching a brand new beginners class on Saturday, May 6, in Kidderminster, as well as a new adults class in Kinver starting on Thursday, May 4.

She added: “We are now training once more for the next championships which will be the All Irelands.

“We also have a large number of recreational students so we also put on an annual show which will be taking place in summer.”

Anyone interested in joining the school, where places are extremely limited, should call Katie on 07572 050236, or email katiecollinsirishdance@hotmail.co.uk.