Last week between 17 - 26 June 2022, 6 athletes from Karate-do Doju-Kai Singapore flew to Manila Philippines to compete in the Manuel Veguillas International Karate Championship on 24-26 June and attend Kumite workshops taught by PHI National Coach, Sensei Okay Arpa.
We are happy to announce that, under the coaching of Sensei Eugene Koh, the team managed to clinch 4 medals in the Kata Categories and 5 medals in the Kumite Categories. A heartfelt congratulations to all players on their win and kudos to their hard work leading up to this event!
Gold medalist - Isaiah Tang Wei En - Junior Male Kumite -61kg
Silver medalist - Dimanya Dewangee - Senior Female Kumite -55kg
Bronze medalists - Chua Sheng Da - Senior Male Kumite -60kg Dimanya Dewangee - Senior Female Kata (Intermediate) Isaiah Tang Wei En - Junior Male Kata (Advance) Leyshan Desmika - 12-13 yrs Male Kata (Intermediate) and Kumite Elijah Tham - Cadet Male Kata (Intermediate) and Kumite -52kg
The team's experience did not end here as they came together with karate clubs from different regions of Philippines, including their National Team, to hone their Kumite skills during the Kumite Tactics Workshop on 24 June. They also had the opportunity to partner up with athletes from other clubs to learn & improve together.
Additionally, Sensei Okay also hosted 4 KGS athletes for an intensive 6 days training camp between 18-23 June where he shared his expertise generously and taught a wide range of technical and tactical techniques. The training camp & workshop has given the team invaluable knowledge that they can bring back to their own fights as well as peers in Singapore.
Since Jan 2020, this is the first overseas event under KGS and we are excited to have the opportunity to train and compete overseas again. In the years prior, KGS has always participated in many competitions yearly as we believe in consistently competing to better ourselves. Competitions are crucial as they serve as platforms for our new athletes to begin their journey and for ongoing athletes to assess their skillset alongside our overseas counterparts. The past 2.5 years have proven difficult for our athletes as these platforms were not available due to Covid restrictions, however we are very proud that the players persevered on.
We would like to thank Sensei Richard Lim and Sensei Okay Arpa for graciously hosting us and for making this event possible! As the borders open up, we look forward to more opportunities ahead of us. In the meantime, we encourage all members to continue training hard as we progress and grow together!