Two members of the Mendip Shotokan Karate Club travelled to The K2 Crawley in Sussex for the Japan Karate Association England National Karate Championship 2016 recently.
Tom Elliott, 13, a student at Writhlington School, entered both kata (form) and kumite (free fighting) in the very competitive age group, 13–15. He was unlucky not to make it through the eliminations in kumite after coming up against an older, more experienced, opponent. However, after a determined effort, Tom made it to the Semi-Finals of the kata, just missing out on a place in the Final.
Andy Forster, a Mendip instructor, who last year took Silver in the Men’s Kumite, this year entered the veterans (over-45) Kata competition. Against accomplished competitors from all over the country, Andy performed with his usual excellent form, speed and strength to take the coveted Gold medal.
Mendip Karate instructor and coach, Julie Morgan, said: “I am very proud of our students, performing in front of hundreds of spectators and against some of the best students from around the country shows great strength of character, and to win medals at this level is a fantastic feat.”
Karate, having now made it into the 2020 Olympics, will give students more inspiration to train hard and succeed in the sport element of the art. Mendip has had some excellent results over the years at both local and National events, although competition is a small part of karate practice, it is good to test one’s skills against other opponents. For details on the club, contact: 01761 233368, www.mendipshotokan.co.uk or search for us on Facebook.
Julie Morgan