Olympian Title Winners

In June 2011 the GCCF launched another exalted new title, the Olympian, to be competed for by Imperial Grand cats in classes for ALL breeds, with 15 certificates to win - 5 each at Bronze, Silver and Gold levels, from 5 different judges at each level. The actual certificates awarded are very different in style from the familiar Challenge, Grand and Imperial ones - a striking pictorial representation of “Olympian” mountain peaks.

Only a small number of Birmans have been entering these classes but three well-known female neuters have succeeded brilliantly in achieving Olympian Gold titles. Within just three months Danleigh Starburst was the joint first cat of any breed to win 5 certificates to achieve an Olympian Bronze title, on the same day as a Maine Coon at a different show in September 2011. She was followed just two months later by Mlyward Sassafras who achieved Bronze at our own Club show. Both girls then went on to achieve Silver and finally the pinnacle of Olympian Gold. The younger Tarkusha Helenoftroy was later in entering the Olympian classes, winning her very first Bronze certificate on 5 January 2013.

The club is delighted to congratulate and salute these three much-loved Golden Girls on their outstanding achievements.




The first Birman and the first female of any breed to achieve Olympian Gold.

UK Imperial Grand Champion & UK Olympian Gold Imperial Grand Premier

MLYWARD SASSAFRAS (SBI e : 13c7)

Cream point
24 June 1999 - 16 May 2016
(UK Gr Ch Rhunacraig Chilli Pepper x Ch Mlyward Titian Princess)
Owners & breeders Ron Mlynek & Dennis Hayward

Olympian Bronze title at the Birman Cat Club show on 5 November 2011, where she was Overall Best in Show. Two weeks later at the Supreme Show she gained her UK Grand Premier title, making her the first Birman to achieve Double UK and Imperial Grand titles.

She gained her Olympian Silver title at the Preston & Blackpool show on 24 March 2012 and Olympian Gold title at the Humberside and Lincolnshire joint shows on 14 July 2012, at 13 years old.


Imperial Grand Champion & Olympian Gold Imperial Grand Premier

DANLEIGH STARBURST (SBI f : 13c6)

Seal Tortie point
(UK Gr Ch Croganii Romeo x Danleigh Strawberry Fayre)
Owner & breeder Jean Wormald

Olympian Bronze title at the Southern & South Western Birman show on 10 September 2011, where she was Overall Best in Show.
Olympian Silver at the Wiltshire & District show on 7 July 2012, where she was Best in Show Semi Longhair.
Olympian Gold at the Bedford & District show on 27 April 2013, where she was Best in Show Semi Longhair - at 9 years old.


Grand Champion & UK Olympian Gold Imperial Grand Premier

TARKUSHA HELENOFTROY (SBI n : 13c1)

Seal point
25 February 2004 - 27 June 2018
(I Gr Ch & Gr Pr Lingcomb Snowwitch Trojan x Tarkusha Pashmina)
Owners & breeders Geoffrey & Carol Tarr

Olympian Bronze title at the Wessex show on 4 July 2015.
Olympian Silver title at the Bedford & District show on 23 April 2016.
Olympian Gold at the London and Surrey & Sussex joint show on 18 March 2017, where she was the Surrey & Sussex Best in Show Semi Longhair - at just over 13 years old.
Helenoftroy was the Birman Cat Club's Overall Top Birman for two consecutive years.


The Club also extends warmest congratulations the first female Adult and the first male Birmans to achieve Olympian titles:

UK & Olympian Silver Imperial Grand Champion

KITTAH ARTEMIS “Tess” (SBI f : 13c6)

Seal Tortie point
(Norvin Laliquepapillon x UK Gr Ch Esaya Kittah Cassandra)
Owners & breeders Nick and Simone Ensor

Artemis gained her Bronze Olympian title at the joint Wessex and Wiltshire shows in July 2016 and her Silver Olympian title at the Maidstone & Medway Show in December 2017 at 9 years old and her Silver title at the Maidstone & Medway Cat Club Show in Deceomber 2017. She has since been spayed and has re-entered the show scene as a Neuter.

Photo by Robert Fox


Olympian Bronze Imperial Grand Champion

MLYWARD XANTI (SBI a : 13c2)

Blue point
(I Gr Ch Snowwitch Atakad Ashadow x Mlyward Gypsyqueen)
Owners & breeders Ron Mlynek & Dennis Hayward

Xanti gained his Bronze Olympian title at the Gwynedd show on 4 February 2017, at 2 years old. In the same year he was Best of Variety Adult at the GCCF Supreme Show, Best in Show Adult at the Birman Cat Club show and was the club's Overall Top Exhibit for the 2017 show year.


Birman Pedigree Pet Olympians

 

Olympian Gold Imperial Grand Master Cat AMBER (Twinkletoes Amber Ice)
28 October 2002 - 10 May 2018
Blue point female owned by Bob and Morwenna Semos

Amber was the Birman Cat Club's Top Birman Pedigree Pet for the 2013 show year, having achieved Bronze Olympian, the first Birman Pedigree Pet to do this. She gained her Gold title on 20 June 2015 at the Lakeland & District Cat Club show. Amber had two litters before being spayed and shown as a Pedigree Pet and she gave her breeder owners Gr Ch & UK I Gr Pr Dalteema Diamond Dan.

Photo by Robert Fox

 

Olympian Gold Imperial Grand Master Cat BLUEBELLE (Pridnjoy Bluebelle)
Blue point female owned by Bob and Morwenna Semos

Bluebelle's Gold year was 2016, achieving this top title at the East Sussex Cat Club show in June. That year she had several Best in Show wins, including the Birman Show where she was Best in Show Pedigree Pet. She was also the Club's Top Birman Pedigree Pet for consecutive show years 2014 and 2015, and won a UK Grand certificate at the 2016 Supreme Show.

 

Olympian Silver Imperial Grand Master Cat WILLOW
Lilac point female owned by Miss Yvonne Glen

Willow lives and is shown in Scotland where she is in frequent competition with a Non-Pedigree Pet named Willow! She became Bronze Olympian at the Scottish Cat Club show in January 2017, and then gained her Silver title at the Edinburgh & East of Scotland Cat Club show in October 2018.

 

Olympian Bronze Imperial Grand Master Cat BILL
Seal point male owned by Mrs Jane Izzard

Bill achieved his Bronze Olympian in style in 2017, with two certificates at the joint Capital Longhair and Eastern Counties Longhair & Semi Longhair Shows in January 2017, with the fifth certificate he needed gained by his Overall Best in Show Household Pet win in the Capital show. He subsequently gained Silver Olympians and two Best in Show wins at later shows in 2017.
Very sadly, his devoted owner had to say farewell to Bill in mid-January 2019 at the age of 12 years when he was found to have a growth in his bladder and, regretfully, she has no good photo of him to provide for this page.

 

Olympian Bronze Imperial Grand Master Cat THEO
Seal Tabby point male owned by Mrs Julia Robinson

Theo had a very notable early success when he was Best in Show Pedigree Pet at the 2014 Birman Cat Club Show, as a Kitten. He won his first UK Grand certificate at the 2017 Supreme and was the Birman Cat Club's Top Birman Pedigree Pet for the 2017 show year. His Bronze Olympian came in 2018, at the Suffolk & Norfolk Cat Club show in May and he crowned his year with a fourth Silver certificate and the People's Choice award at the Birman Cat Club show in November.

UK Grand Title Winners

The UK Grand is the oldest of the titles above Grand Champion/Premier/Master Cat level. It can only be competed for at the GCCF's annual Supreme Show and was introduced for the 1988 show, when only Seal and Blue point Birmans had Championship status and the Household Pet section was only for Non-Pedigrees (who did not gain titles until around 2008). A cat has to win two certificates to attain the UK Grand title, which of course means returning to try for the second one the following year and subsequent years if unlucky.

The very first Birmans to gain the coveted UK titles did so in the first year possible - 1989 - having gained their first certificates in 1988: they were Seal male UK Gr Ch Mockorange Big Boy, a very famous stud in many pedigrees owned by Mrs Sandra Moore and bred by Mrs Sundra Barker, and Blue female neuter Ch & UK Gr Pr Laurant Penny Lane bred and owned by Mrs Carole Flynn. The next winners were the opposite sides of the coins, as it were: Seal male neuter Ch & UK Gr Pr Melvas Romeo bred and owned by Mrs Melva Eccles in 1990, and Blue female UK Gr Ch Laurant Mood Indigo, again bred and owned by Mrs Carole Flynn, in 1991.

The then “new” colours - Chocolate & Lilac, Red/Cream/Tortie and all the Tabbies - gained Championship status in 1994 and the first UK Grand classes for them came in at the 1995 Supreme. The first AOC Birman was Seal Tortie female UK Gr Ch Klassyklogs Krafty Karess bred and owned by Mrs Jane Tackley, who gained her title in 1996, followed in 1997 by Seal Tabby point male UK Gr Ch Keitum Krackerjack, bred and owned by Mrs Julie Keith. Krackerjack was Best of Variety Adult at the 1996 Supreme.

Another notable Tabby point male was the first Birman cat to win a Supreme title: Ch & Supreme UK Gr Pr Kalemyo Klawsforapplause (bred and owned by Mrs Vivienne Lee), who was Supreme Neuter in 2001 and gained his UK Grand title at the 2003 show.

Of the many Birmans of all colours who have gained UK Grand titles, several have attained the distinction of becoming Double UK Grands, gaining the title as both Adult and Neuter (with several of them achieving Double Imperial Grand also), as listed below.

 

UK Grand Champion & UK Imperial & Grand Premier
KLASSYKLOGS KRAFTY KARESS (1996 & 2000)
(also International Grand Premier)
Seal Tortie point Female bred & owned by Mrs Jane Tackley and later owned by Mr Barrie Tackley.
The first female Double UK Grand of any breed and Best of Variety Neuter 1998 Supreme.

 

UK Grand Champion & UK Grand Premier
SHWECHINTHE ZUNETRA (1990 & 2003)
Chocolate point Female bred and owned by Mrs Elizabeth Brigliadori & Dr Kathryn Robson.
The first Chocolate/Lilac point UK Grand.

 

UK Grand Champion & UK Grand Premier
SHANDATAL QUEENOFHEARTS (2000 & 2004)
(also TICA Supreme Grand Champion Alter)
Seal point female bred and owned by Mrs Shirley Talboys.
Supreme Kitten 1996 & Best of Variety Neuter 2002 Supreme.

 

UK Grand Champion & UK Imperial Grand Premier
TARKUSHA ZINFANDEL (1999 & 2005)
Blue point female bred and owned by Mr Geoffrey & Mrs Carol Tarr.
Best of Variety Adult 1996 Supreme.

 

UK Imperial Grand Champion & UK Olympian Gold Imperial Grand Premier
MLYWARD SASSAFRAS (2003 & 2011)
Cream point female bred and owned by Messrs Ron Mlynek & Dennis Hayward.
Best of Variety Neuter 2011 Supreme.

 

UK Imperial Grand Champion & UK Imperial Grand Premier
KLASSYKLOGS KALEMYOKOKO (2008 & 2012)
Seal point female bred and owned by Mrs Vivienne Lee.

 

UK Imperial Grand Champion & UK Imperial Grand Premier
SHWECHINTHE SHWENAT (2009 & 2013)
Chocolate point male bred and owned by Mrs Elizabeth Brigliadori & Dr Kathryn Robson.
The first male Double UK & Double Imperia Grand.

 

UK Grand Champion & UK Imperial Grand Premier
AREZZA MY FAIRLADY (2011 & 2016)
Lilac Tabby point female bred and owned by Mrs Tracy Adams.

 

UK Grand Champion & UK Grand Premier
JANDOUGLEN SEILEACH (2015 & 2018)
Chocolate Tabby point female bred and owned by Mrs Ann Mott.

 

The 2009 Supreme Show introduced the new Household Pet section with classes for Non-Pedigree and Pedigree Pets and in 2001 a Blue point Birman had an outstanding success: Supreme UK Grand Master Cat TWIZZLE, owned by Mrs Elizabeth Scott, was Supreme Pedigree Pet and gained his UK Grand title also. Two years later at the 2013 show, a Seal point Birman Pedigree Pet became a UK Grand: UK Imperial Grand Master Cat BOUNCER, owned by Mrs Jennifer Plant.

 

Janet Osborn
February 2019
(Magazine Editor 1998-2008 & 2012-2014)

Imperial Title Winners

In June 2005 the race began for the first Birmans to win the new Imperial title introduced by the GCCF to be competed for by Grand Champion and Grand Premiers only, and to be awarded to cats “of exceptional quality”. It took nine months for the first Birman to win the five certificates required to achieve an Imperial title. The first male and female Adults and Neuters to become Imperial Grand Champions and Premiers are as follows:

UK GRAND CHAMPION SUCETTE ICECOLD INALEX - 6-year-old Lilac male adult
GRAND CHAMPION KLASSYKLOGS KORALLINA - 3-year-old Seal Tortie female adult
UK GRAND PREMIER LINGCOMB ENDYMION - 5-year-old Seal male neuter
GRAND PREMIER ESAYA BRONTE - 12-year-old Seal female neuter

Their photographs and more details can be seen below. Since March 2006 many Birmans, in all colours, have achieved the title and the present total is more than 70 Imperial Grand Champions or Premiers.

UK & IMPERIAL GRAND CHAMPION SUCETTE ICECOLD INALEX 13c4

Owner/breeder Miss Liz Whitby

The first ever Birman and first male to win the new Imperial Title. Achieved at the Lancashire Cat Club Show Saturday 11th March 2006

IMPERIAL GRAND CHAMPION KLASSYKLOGS KORALLINA 13c6

Owner/breeder Mrs Jane Tackley

The first female Birman to win the Imperial Title. Achieved at the Bedford Cat Club Show 29th April 2006

UK & IMPERIAL GRAND PREMIER LINGCOMB ENDYMION 13c1

Owner/breeder Miss Janet Osborn

The first male neuter Birman to attain the Imperial Title. Achieved at the Lakeland Show June 18th 2006

IMPERIAL GRAND PREMIER ESAYA BRONTE 13c1

Owner Miss Heather Collings
Breeder Lady Saye

The first female neuter Birman to attain the Imperial Title. Achieved at the Lakeland Show June 18th 2006

The first Birman and the first Semi Longhair cat to achieve the Double Imperial Grand title

UK IMPERIAL GRAND CHAMPION & IMPERIAL GRAND PREMIER MLYWARD SASSAFRAS 13c7

Cream Point female
Owners/breeders Ron Mlynek & Dennis Hayward

Imperial Grand Champion at the Coventry & Leicester Show 24.2.07
Imperial Grand Premier at the Lakeland Show 21.6.08 - 3 days before her 8th birthday

A few years ago the GCCF launched the Master Cat title for Household Pets for pedigree cats to compete for this title (plus Grand, UK and Imperial & Olympian levels) under their “pet” names. The GCCF subsequently introduced Pedigree Pet classes within the HP section there are already quite a number of Birman Master Cats and Grand Master Cats. The Club is now delighted to congratulate the very first Birman Pedigree Pet to achieve the Imperial Grand title.

 

The first Birman Imperial Pedigree Pet

IMPERIAL GRAND MASTER CAT ADORA

Seal Point female
Owner/breeder Mrs Shirley Talboys

Adora gained her Imperial Grand title at the Progressive Ragdoll Breed Show on 16 July 2011 at the age of 12 years and 8 months