Students shine at WUKO Junior World Championships
29 October 2008by Carnalea Wado Kai
The listing was posted by Mizukara
Not many people have any idea how tough a world karate event is, especially when there are some 1700 competitors. Last weekend (20 October) four Northern Ireland junior karate stars got first hand experience in an event of this magnitude.
Brothers Neil & Glen Bailie came joint ninth in their kata category, both missing the final by .1. In the kumite they both lost out to two great Russian fighters, four-nil and two-one respectively. This was no disgrace as the Russians went on to destroy their next two opponents six-nil, eventually finishing second and third respectively.
Fresh from her victory in the recent Carlow International Sarah Brashaw was well prepared for the event. However it was never going to be easy to make the cut for the last sixteen in a field of almost forty competitors, most of them being the stronger kata styles of Shotokan and Shito-Ryu as opposed to Sarah's Wado-Ryu. Nevertheless Sarah gave a great performance of kata and came in in seventeenth in her first world championship. Fourteen year old Levi Kane was delighted to finish twenty third out of fifty in her kata event. Again, like Sarah she was against the stronger kata styles and was delighted to finish in front of so many of them.
Coach Kevin Lewis added 'These athletes trained very hard for this event over the last six months. I was delighted that Sarah an Levi beat so many exponents of stronger kata styles. This performance will certainly inspire them for the next WUKO World championships due to take place in Brazil in 2010 when they will move into the single style events. They have much to be proud of and have certainly learned a great deal about competing at this level.'
Team Manager David Brashaw was delighted with everyone. 'Much Credit has to go to these athletes who proudly represented Northern Ireland at this event. I often hear of other world karate championships, however I have not heard of any of them that have as many competitors as this. Sometimes, as was shown at the Olympics, judging can be somewhat unpredictable. Had we got .1 here or there we many even have got in the medals. A big thanks also needs to be said to the students' parents and coach Kevin Lewis who have supported their training and paid to accompany them to the event.' The next event coming up is the All Ireland Finals in Dublin in November.