IT was medals galore for local martial artists as members of the Mizukara Karate Clubs from Ards, Bangor, and Holywood delivered standout performances at the 17th UKF Invitational Karate Tournament in Burnfoot, Co. Donegal.
Facing fierce competition from over 500 athletes from across Ireland, Scotland and England, Mizukara rose to the challenge and secured an incredible third place overall — leaping five places from their eighth-place finish last year.
The action-packed weekend kicked off with the family kata categories, where siblings Harrison and Helena Stitt took gold, while Abigail and Bella Cordner added a bronze to the club’s tally.
Team kata success followed swiftly. In the junior cadets division, Harrison Stitt, Dylan McBride, and Megan Benson clinched gold. The senior team of Amy Adair, Levi Kane, and Anna McCormick – already regarded among Ireland’s finest – showed their class with another top-of-the-podium finish.
There were more team medals as Cooper McEvilly, Freya Grindle, and Abigail Cordner secured silver in the cadets, while Angela McEvilly, Victoria Magreehan and Ewa Mazur brought home bronze in the senior category.
Individual kata events also delivered a haul of hardware. Current Northern Ireland champion Levi Kane struck gold, while silver medals went to Harrison and Helena Stitt and Victoria Magreehan. Sydney Murdoch and Harrison Stitt also added bronze medals to the club’s collection.
The kumite (fighting) events were no less fruitful.
The Ladies Team Rotation – featuring Levi Kane, Amy Adair, and Kath Stevenson – topped the podium with gold. Amy then doubled her gold count with victories in both the Senior Ippon and Sanbon Kumite categories, while Levi bagged another gold in Ippon Kumite and two silvers in individual fighting.
Silver medals also went to Abigail Cordner, Megan Benson, and Dylan McBride. Team rotation bronze medals were claimed by pairings of Caleb Orchin and Harrison Stitt, Heidi Magreehan and Niamh Parker, and Bella Cordner and Cooper McEvilly.
Additional individual bronze medals were awarded to Freya Grindle – who also medalled in a guest team rotation – alongside Niamh Parker, Bella Cordner, Kath Stevenson, and Angela McEvilly.
There were commendable performances too from Lewis Grindle, Rachel Benson, Joel Orchin, Noah Parker, Tyler McBride, Oliver Prohaszka, and Oliver Mazur, showcasing the depth of talent across the Mizukara clubs.
Reflecting on the weekend, head coach David Brashaw said: “Another tournament and another day of excellent performances and results. We are delighted with the progress our team is making over recent months.”
Next up for Mizukara is a busy competition schedule, beginning with the Karate Northern Open Championships at Queen’s PEC, Belfast on Saturday, April 26, followed by the WUKF Ireland National Championships in Dublin on May 11.
