Leeds karate club come second at championships
It was the first time many members of the club had taken part in an external competition.
Senior girls from Ichiban Karate
Submitted by Kylie-Jo Greeff
Members of a local karate club came second on the medal table at the Dokan Karate Association Karate Championships.
Ichiban Karate from Leeds, West Yorkshire took a group of almost 50 competitors aged between six and 40 to South Shields for the competition, and most of the team went home with a medal.
30 members of the team had never competed in an external competition, which made the team’s finishing position all the more incredible.
Two of the team’s youngest competitors, Dani Ali, nine, and Frank Sczezspanski, six, both took home three medals after less than a year of training.
Kylie Greeff, Ichiban Karate coach, said: "Going into the competition in South Shields I was nervous about how many of the competitors would respond to the extra pressure and bigger occasion.
"However they handled it fantastically and proved that they have a very bright future ahead of them, if this is how they performed at their first competition.
"It was also excellent to see how the older, more experienced children in the squad encouraged and supported the new members and still also managed to put on excellent performances themselves.
"There are definitely a number of future World Champions in this group of children!"
Ichiban Karate offers karate classes in Meanwood and Gipton, West Yorkshire with many of its students coming from lower-income households.
Whilst karate has a relatively low barrier to entry as a sport, regular competitions, which are important for the continued improvement of the students comes at a cost, making attending competitions inaccessible for many of the squad.
The team are actively looking for corporate and individual sponsors to help many of the squad attend the 2022 World Championships as well as other local competitions and would love to hear from local businesses and individuals that are interested in supporting the team.
To find out more about the club, click here.
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