LOCAL karate competitors topped the medal table at the recent Karate Northern Ireland championships in Dungiven recently.
Over 30 athletes from Newtownards, Bangor and Holywood, members of the Mizukara Karate Clubs, were in the hunt for medals and returned home with the great haul of 14 gold, 10 silver and 12 bronze medals.
First up in the morning were the team kata (patterns) events. Mizukara students took gold and silver in the under age 14 event through Helena Stitt, Bella Cordner, Oliver Prohaszka, Harrison Stitt and Dylan McBride.
In the senior team kata, Mizukara competitors took gold and bronze. The elite trio of Levi Kane, Anna McCormick taking the title home just in front of their delighted teammates, Angela McEvilly, Ben Ritchie and Victoria Magreehan.
In the team kumite (sparring) Mizukara lifted the under age 12 title with Niamh Parker, Cooper McEvilly, Bella Cordner and Helena Stitt. They then added the under age 14 title through Caleb Orchin, Dylan McBride and Harrison Stitt.
Mizukara under age 16 students Abigail Cordner, Robyn McMaster and Freya Grindle added a silver in their team kumite event.
In the individual events, brother and sister duo Harrison and Helena Stitt shone, both taking gold medals in their respective kata and kumite events.
More kata gold medals were won by the following students: Sydney Murdoch, a gold in her first ever competition, Bella Cordner Ben Ritchie, Angela McEvilly and in the senior event, by Levi Kane.
A final gold was added to the tally by Megan Benson in her individual kumite,her third Northern Ireland kumite title.
The team’s tally of silver medals was added to individually by Dylan McBride both in his individual kata and kumite, by Megan in her kata, by newcomers Lewis Grindle, Niamh Greer, Caleb Orchin and Ewa Mazur in their individual kata. The final two silvers came from up-and-coming star Oliver Prohaszka and Amy Adair also in their respective kata events.
The team’s tally of bronze medals in kumite were for Freya Grindle, Niamh and Noah Parker. This was added to in kata by Anna McCormick, Kath Stephenson, Joel Orchin, Lucy Spence, Ethan Calwell, Abigail Cordner and Freya Grindle.
On the day there were also excellent performances from Rachel Benson, Rory Fischaber, Heidi Magreehan, Tyler McBride, Sophie-Rose O’Mara, Alicia Laines, Jonah McMaster, Oliver Mazur, Chloe Spence and Robyn McMaster.
As a result of these results the following athletes were invited to join the Northern Ireland squad – Bella Cordner, Helena Stitt and Megan Benson.
Mizukara athletes are now preparing for the UKF Invitational in Donegal on Saturday, April 5 and the Karate Northern Open Championships in QUB PEC, Belfast on Saturday, April 26.
Anyone who would like to know more about karate, self-defence, relaxing/health recovery and ‘Tai Chi for adults’, in Ards, Bangor and Holywood please contact David on 07760 337578 or message on Facebook.
