Ten-year-old karate champs compete in Tokyo
A South Tyneside karate instructor made sure his young proteges didn’t return empty-handed from two international championships in Japan and the UK.
For Sensei Blane Stamps, who leads Yamaguchi Goju-Kai Karate’s Gateshead dojo, saw his students Faith Cooley and Nathan Bell win a clutch of medals.
Ten-year-old Faith won a gold and two bronze medals at the British Karate Federation International Open at the Ponds Forge International Sports Centre in Sheffield.
She won gold in Pairs Kata with Iona Cooper, 11 from Jarrow, from Yamaguchi Goju-Kai Karate’s South Tyneside dojo, based at Perth Green CA in Jarrow and led by Shihan Mark Purcell.
Faith also won bronze in 10-11 Girls Kata and in Team Kumite, with Iona and Eva Barts from Yamaguchi Goju-Kai Karate’s dojo in Grays, Essex. Nathan, also ten, won silver in Pairs Kata at the Sheffield event, along with his partner Daniel Barber from Grays.
Two weeks earlier, Nathan and Faith, both from Gateshead, were in Tokyo with their instructor Blane and Mark and his four competitors from the club’s Jarrow dojo for the IKGA World Championships.
They were alongside 1,500 competitors from 37 affiliated countries and both competed in Kata and Kumite (points fighting) and won rounds. Faith also won a bronze medal in the 10-11 Girls Kumite.
Sensei Blane, 2nd Dan, from Jarrow, teaches children and adults on four evenings at Gateshead Stadium and St John's Church in Low Fell as well as at five Gateshead primary schools.
He said: “Faith and Nathan’s hard work leading up to Japan and the British Championships really paid off. The squad were training six days a week between the Gateshead and Jarrow dojos in preparation, and had fundraised £13,000 to assist in the costs.
“The word karate literally means ‘empty hand’ so I’m glad we returned from the two championships with armfuls of medals! Karate teaches a lot of things such as discipline, dedication and sacrifice and I’ve watched these kids come to karate every day for the last 18 months to prepare for this, so I’m really proud of their amazing achievements.
“Hopefully this inspires more children to come to karate and succeed in the dojo or in competitions.”
•For more information on the Gateshead dojo, visit their Facebook page at facebook.com/tyneandweargojukai or contact Blane Stamps at [email protected] or 07956 610292. For the Jarrow dojo, visit facebook.com/p/South-Tyneside-Yamaguchi-Goju-Kai-Karate-100054288589454 or contact Mark Purcell at [email protected] or 07717 290475.