Young karate stars get in shape for world title bid

Members of The Dokan Karate Club have been preparing to do battle at the World Championships in Sweden in July with a series of national contests.

Having returned from the Liverpool Open – their first competition of the year – with 17 gold medals, nine silver and eight bronze, the youngsters travelled to Leeds for the first leg of the DKA Northern League and finished top of the table with with 27 gold, 22 sliver and 25 bronze medals.

They followed that up with a trip to the EKA Championships, in Warrington, where 30 competitors from Dokan again topped the team medal table with 19 gold, 13 silver and 19 bronze medals.

Dokan chief instructor, Kevan Mitchinson, said: “The Northern league event in Leeds saw us enter 48 students and finish as the top club again.

“Counting pairs and teams as one medal, we finished with 27 gold, 22 sliver and 25 bronze.

"It was a really pleasing performance and I'm happy with the progress that a very young squad is making.”

He added: “I am especially pleased at performances like this because the club is on a big rebuild at the moment, having lost a number of its older and more experienced students over the past 18 months.

“I'm super pleased today with the youngsters’ attitudes and improvement.

“This means we have been top club at the three busiest tournaments of the year so far as we prepare for the World Championships in Sweden in July”

He added: “We are winning with a band of youngsters mostly aged six to 13.”

Last year, the students returned from the World Championships in Malta with 15 champions.

They also won seven European titles from the event in Poland.

Dokan teaches Shotokan karate – considered a traditional and influential form of the sport – at various venues in South Tyneside and Sunderland.

As well as the competition squad the club holds a series of classes for all age groups – and specific beginner’s classes - seven days a week.

For more information on taking up karate, call 07939 130411 or email [email protected].