This week, six of our KGS athletes competed in the Thailand Open Karate-Do Championships 2022 held on 19-23 august 2022 in Phuket.
The Thailand Open Championship is one of the highest regarded competitions in the SEA region, attracting almost 700 ~ athletes from 25 countries, including WKF top ranking athletes from other regions. The event was also officiated by WKF/AKF/NF certified referees/judges. Despite the high standards, our athletes put up an outstanding performance against their counterparts, many of them being high performance athletes like themselves.
We would like to congratulate Elijah Tham for winning a Bronze medal in the Cadet Male Ind Kumite -52 KG. Elijah put up an exceptional fight in a total of 5 matches against his opponents from India, Nepal, Thailand, and Malaysia. He won in his Bronze medal match against his Malaysian opponent in a close fight of 2:1, earning himself 3rd place out of 38 other competitors in his category. This is one of many overseas competitions he has participated in regionally, but the biggest event yet. Good job Elijah and we are excited to see you excel further!
Further mention to Chua Sheng Da who fought brilliantly, winning his first 2 matches against Nepal & Philippines with a score of 9:0 and 2:1, in the -60 KG Male Kumite Category with 38 competitors. As well as to athletes Tan Shi Ying, Dimanya Dewangee, Isaiah Tang and Lin Zhi Feng for putting up a great fight in the Individual Kumite -55 KG, -61 KG, -68 KG and -57 KG categories respectively. Regardless of results, we are immensely proud of your tenacity and grit for training almost every single day for the past months and putting yourself out there on the regional stage!
Alongside with this, we would also like to thank Eugene Koh-Sensei for coaching the team on this trip. Eugene-Sensei has recently obtained his WKF Certified Kumite Coach status, which means that he is a WKF recognised Kumite coach and can now coach athletes at WKF events. The process of obtaining this certification has not been easy and it included months of studying, an exam and assessment of credibility. We congratulate Sensei Eugene and are excited for what's to come for him!
Above all else, KGS recognises that it takes years of hard work and dedication before winning medals, a process that we have been on for almost 20 years. Win or lose, these experiences only push us forward. A job well done to all who participated, and let's keep our fire burning!