East Auckland martial artists have demonstrated their immense fighting spirit at a major international tournament.
More than 1400 competitors from England, Australia and New Zealand took part in the recent GKR Karate International World Cup staged at Sydney Olympic Park in Australia.
They were vying for medal placements in their divisions which included individual Kata, Kumite (sparring) and Team events.
Each competitor was to face on average about 60 people in their individual divisions, which range from yellow-belt all the way up to the open Black-Belt.
Among them was a team from GKR’s Highland Park dojo.
Dojo manager Nicola de Bruin says the tournament was “huge” for the local karate students.
“The sheer size of the tournament was overwhelming, let alone the fact each person’s divisions had on average between 40 to 60 competitors, so competition was tough.
“New Zealand took to Sydney around 140 students ranging in age from five to 65 years.
“Every student performed extremely well, and it resulted in New Zealand bringing home 83 medals.
“From our Highland Park dojo we took 37 students and are extremely proud to say we brought home 31 medals.
“A true testament to the dedication they’ve shown to their training over the past 12 months and their hard work paying off.”
De Bruin says not only did the students perform well in the ring, but their camaraderie and sportsmanship was “exemplary”.
“Every time a Kiwi stepped foot into the ring to compete, the other Kiwis would yell and scream ‘Let’s Go Kiwi, Let’s Go!’, and the whole stadium would explode in support.
“As a coach and fellow karateka it was such a wonderful experience which truly made your heart want to explode with pride.
“The next World Cup tournament will be held in the UK in 2026, so we’ve already started talks about training schedules and fundraising events.
“We hope to take as many of our team over to England and repeat our recent success.”
As the Times recently reported, among the standout members of the Highland Park team was Kate-Lynn De Klerk.
The Botany Downs Secondary College pupil won golds in Team Kata, Individual Kata and Individual Kumite, and bronze in Team Kata.
She’s been training in GKR Karate for four years and holds a 4th kyu (red belt) in the Japanese martial art.
She says the atmosphere at the tournament in Sydney was “so loud and filled with tons of cheering and support from everyone”.
“It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Each match was very close.
“Sometimes it came down to one flag or one point between the winner and the loser.
“I could feel my heart pumping after every round wondering if I was about to get knocked out or if I made it through to the next.”
