Our biggest tournament ever is done. A 12-hour marathon, 79 competitors, and record-breaking heat — and everyone pushed through it. It was one of our most successful events yet, and it showed how far this community has come.
The tatamis told the whole story of what we’re about. Our youngest competitor was just 5 years old, taking their first steps on the Kyokushin path. We had three generations of the same family from Chelmsford Dojo competing side by side. And we had a 69-year-old warrior who, as his son put it, is “more metal than bone” these days.
A huge thank you to all the referees, judges and volunteers. Seeing our juniors step up into judging and official roles made us especially proud. Thank you as well to Blitz for supporting the event and providing prizes for the 1st place winners and all officials.
If we can run a 12-hour tournament in this heat, imagine what we’ll do when things are easier. We’re just getting started — see you all again in autumn.
OSU!
About the tournament
Kata is the solo form of karate — a set sequence of blocks, strikes and stances performed alone, judged on precision, power, timing and spirit. It is where the fundamentals of Kyokushin are tested without an opponent in front of you.
We ran the day across a full grade range, from complete beginners at 10th and 9th kyu through to advanced grades and black-belt level. Most divisions were split by age (U10, U14, U18 and 18+) and by kyu grade, so competitors faced others at a similar stage. On top of that, each age group had an Open division where all grades competed together — the toughest brackets of the day.
Clubs that joined us
This was a proper regional gathering. Alongside HAITO Karate, we welcomed competitors from:
- Chelmsford Kyokushinkai
- Boston Kyokushin Karate
- BKG (British Karate Guild) — Reading and Docklands dojos
- IKK Kyokushin — Canterbury
- Wimbledon Karate Kyokushinkai (Hanshi’s Dojo)
- SBKR Armstrong Karate — Birmingham
- Mirai Karate Dojo
- K3 Fight Academy — Dorking
- So-Kyokushin — Bury St Edmunds
- Saffron Walden Kyokushin Karate
- Life Karate SW London
- Karate Jutsu Kai
Thank you to every club that made the trip. A tournament is only as good as the people who show up for it, and this turnout said everything.
Standout performances
A few results stood out across the day.
Jacob Barker (HAITO Karate) took double gold, winning both the Boys U10 7th & 6th Kyu division and the Boys U10 Open.
Martynas Barzdaitis (HAITO Karate) took gold in Boys U14 8th & 7th Kyu and backed it up with silver in the tougher Boys U14 Open.
Emi Menike (Chelmsford Kyokushinkai) was dominant on the day, winning gold in Mixed U14 4th–2nd Kyu, Girls U14 Open, Females U18 2nd Kyu and above, and the U18 Open.
The Stoddart name closed out the adult grades, with Sarah and Jack Stoddart (Chelmsford Kyokushinkai) both topping their 18+ divisions.
Full results by category are below.
Results
Under 10
Girls U10 — 10th & 9th Kyu
- 🥇 Shanvi Nila Selvinraj — HAITO Karate
- 🥈 Estere Jancevska — HAITO Karate
- 🥉 Ameera Shabir — HAITO Karate
Boys U10 — 10th & 9th Kyu
- 🥇 Sanjay Bibin Kaimal — HAITO Karate
- 🥈 Roman Guneser — K3 Fight Academy Dorking
- 🥉 Shawn Suriyan Selvinraj — HAITO Karate
- 🏅 Mursel Falstrom — HAITO Karate
- 🏅 Kumar Sambhav — HAITO Karate
Mixed U10 — 8th & 7th Kyu
- 🥇 Leonor Sofia Malheiro Da Silva — HAITO Karate
- 🥈 Tauras Jucevicius — HAITO Karate
- 🥉 Dana Hretu — Armstrong Karate SBKR Birmingham
Boys U10 — 7th & 6th Kyu
- 🥇 Jacob Barker — HAITO Karate
- 🥈 Alex Andreas Diaconu — Boston Kyokushin Karate
- 🥉 Robert Babcivc — Armstrong Karate SBKR Birmingham
Boys U10 — Open
- 🥇 Jacob Barker — HAITO Karate
- 🥈 Alex Andreas Diaconu — Boston Kyokushin Karate
- 🥉 Robert Babcivc — Armstrong Karate SBKR Birmingham
Under 14
Mixed U14 — 10th & 9th Kyu
- 🥇 Summer Karkash — HAITO Karate
- 🥈 Dominic Dziedzic — HAITO Karate
- 🥉 Lydia Shimamura — So-Kyokushin (Bury St Edmunds)
- 🏅 Gerda Katinskaite — Boston Kyokushin Karate
- 🏅 Ayaan Saqib — HAITO Karate
Boys U14 — 8th & 7th Kyu
- 🥇 Martynas Barzdaitis — HAITO Karate
- 🥈 Robert Alexandru Buzatu — HAITO Karate
- 🥉 Mithran Chandramohan — HAITO Karate
- 🏅 Mateusz Kanclez — Boston Kyokushin Karate
- 🏅 Fynley Richardson — Mirai Karate Dojo
- 🏅 Oluwatimilehin Adelabu — HAITO Karate
- 🏅 Ivan Domariev — Boston Kyokushin Karate
Girls U14 — 8th & 7th Kyu
- 🥇 Olivija Griskeviciute — BKG Reading Dojo
- 🥈 Sreya Bibin — HAITO Karate
- 🥉 Jessica Pogwizd — Boston Kyokushin Karate
Mixed U14 — 6th & 5th Kyu
- 🥇 Gabi Menike — Chelmsford Kyokushinkai
- 🥈 Rebeka Pulina — HAITO Karate
- 🥉 Ianis Vancea — Boston Kyokushin Karate
- 🏅 Stanislaw Halicki — K3 Fight Academy Dorking
Mixed U14 — 4th, 3rd & 2nd Kyu
- 🥇 Emi Menike — Chelmsford Kyokushinkai
- 🥈 Jacob Clay — Saffron Walden Kyokushin Karate
- 🥉 Franciszek Halicki — K3 Fight Academy Dorking
Girls U14 — Open
- 🥇 Emi Menike — Chelmsford Kyokushinkai
- 🥈 Olivija Griskeviciute — BKG Reading Dojo
- 🥉 Gabi Menike — Chelmsford Kyokushinkai
- 🏅 Rebeka Pulina — HAITO Karate
- 🏅 Sreya Bibin — HAITO Karate
Boys U14 — Open
- 🥇 Jacob Clay — Saffron Walden Kyokushin Karate
- 🥈 Martynas Barzdaitis — HAITO Karate
- 🥉 Fynley Richardson — Mirai Karate Dojo
- 🏅 Ivan Domariev — Boston Kyokushin Karate
Under 18
Mixed U18 — 10th–7th Kyu
- 🥇 Varvara Hryhorievska — BKG Reading Dojo
- 🥈 Adam Pilarski — HAITO Karate
- 🥉 Tuaha Saqib — HAITO Karate
Mixed U18 — 6th–3rd Kyu
- 🥇 Evie Humphrey-Jones — Wimbledon Karate Kyokushin (Hanshi’s Dojo)
- 🥈 Harison Wright — Chelmsford Kyokushinkai
- 🥉 Darius Junevic — HAITO Karate
- 🏅 David Alexandru Buzatu — HAITO Karate
Females U18 — 2nd Kyu and above
- 🥇 Emi Menike — Chelmsford Kyokushinkai
- 🥈 Gemma Ellison — IKK Canterbury Kyokushin Karate
- 🥉 Martha Leigh-Pemberton — IKK Canterbury Kyokushin Karate
U18 — Open
- 🥇 Emi Menike — Chelmsford Kyokushinkai
- 🥈 Gemma Ellison — IKK Canterbury Kyokushin Karate
- 🥉 Evie Humphrey-Jones — Wimbledon Karate Kyokushin (Hanshi’s Dojo)
- 🏅 Varvara Hryhorievska — BKG Reading Dojo
- 🏅 Martha Leigh-Pemberton — IKK Canterbury Kyokushin Karate
- 🏅 Adam Pilarski — HAITO Karate
- 🏅 Darius Junevic — HAITO Karate
- 🏅 Harison Wright — Chelmsford Kyokushinkai
- 🏅 David Alexandru Buzatu — HAITO Karate
Adults 18+
Females 18+ — 10th–6th Kyu
- 🥇 Nadiia Korvhahina — Life Karate SW London
- 🥈 Monika Mizeraite — HAITO Karate
- 🥉 Keri Perry — HAITO Karate
- 🏅 Jasmine Hovell — HAITO Karate
- 🏅 Aisha Karkash — HAITO Karate
- 🏅 Marina Duncan — Life Karate SW London
Males 18+ — 10th–7th Kyu
- 🥇 Chris Knight — Wimbledon Karate Kyokushinkai (Hanshi’s Dojo)
- 🥈 Nelson Marques — HAITO Karate
- 🥉 Louis Leslie Richardson — Mirai Karate Dojo
Males 18+ — 6th–3rd Kyu
- 🥇 Soheil Dadkhah — Wimbledon Karate Kyokushinkai (Hanshi’s Dojo)
- 🥈 Steven Dodds — IKK Canterbury Kyokushin Karate
- 🥉 Nicholas Orphanou — Wimbledon Karate Kyokushinkai (Hanshi’s Dojo)
- 🏅 Jag Sandhu — BKG Docklands Dojo
- 🏅 Gediminas Griskevicius — BKG Reading Dojo
- 🏅 Angel Nikolov — Armstrong Karate SBKR Birmingham
- 🏅 Ashley Gendek — Mirai Karate Dojo
- 🏅 Harison Wright — Chelmsford Kyokushinkai
Females 18+ — 5th Kyu and above
- 🥇 Sarah Stoddart — Chelmsford Kyokushinkai
- 🥈 Ieva Klevina — Chelmsford Kyokushinkai
- 🥉 Deagon Wilford — IKK Canterbury Kyokushin Karate
- 🏅 Jessica Hobbs — Chelmsford Kyokushinkai
- 🏅 Grace Dennison — IKK Canterbury Kyokushin Karate
- 🏅 Jiong Dai — IKK Canterbury Kyokushin Karate
- 🏅 Ilze Pulina — HAITO Karate
Males 18+ — 2nd Kyu and above
- 🥇 Jack Stoddart — Chelmsford Kyokushinkai
- 🥈 Matthew Bolt — Karate Jutsu Kai
- 🥉 Jared Wright — Chelmsford Kyokushinkai
- 🏅 Stuart Wright — Chelmsford Kyokushinkai
- 🏅 Reuben Miller
- 🏅 Dylan Shimamura — So-Kyokushin Bury St Edmunds Kyokushin Karate
- 🏅 M J Andrasi — WKB K3 Fight Academy Dorking
Females 18+ — Open
- 🥇 Sarah Stoddart — Chelmsford Kyokushinkai
- 🥈 Ieva Klevina — Chelmsford Kyokushinkai
- 🥉 Deagon Wilford — IKK Canterbury Kyokushin Karate
- 🏅 Jessica Hobbs — Chelmsford Kyokushinkai
- 🏅 Jiong Dai — IKK Canterbury Kyokushin Karate
- 🏅 Grace Dennison — IKK Canterbury Kyokushin Karate
- 🏅 Ilze Pulina — HAITO Karate
- 🏅 Keri Perry — HAITO Karate
Males 18+ — Open
- 🥇 Jack Stoddart — Chelmsford Kyokushinkai
- 🥈 Reuben Miller
- 🥉 Jared Wright — Chelmsford Kyokushinkai
- 🏅 Stuart Wright — Chelmsford Kyokushinkai
- 🏅 Matthew Bolt — Karate Jutsu Kai
- 🏅 Dylan Shimamura — So-Kyokushin Bury St Edmunds Kyokushinkai Karate
- 🏅 Steven Dodds — IKK Canterbury Kyokushin Karate
- 🏅 Soheil Dadkhah — Wimbledon Karate Kyokushinkai (Hanshi’s Dojo)
- 🏅 Jag Sandhu — BKG Docklands Dojo British Karate Guild
- 🏅 Chris Knight — Wimbledon Karate Kyokushinkai (Hanshi’s Dojo)
- 🏅 Angel Nikolov — Armstrong Karate SBKR Birmingham
- 🏅 Gediminas Griskevicius — BKG Reading Dojo
- 🏅 Ashley Gendek — Mirai Karate Dojo
Well done to every competitor, and thank you to all the clubs who joined us. Twelve hours, seventy-nine competitors, and one seriously hot dojo — this is what the community looks like when it turns up.
We’ll be back in autumn, and we hope to see even more of you on the tatami. If you’d like to train with us or enter the next event, get in touch through the club.
OSU! 🥋