Students from the the Kimura Shukokai Karate Kent club based in and around Maidstone, claimed another haul of medals at the Kimura Cup competition held in Birmingham.

The club members returned with a total of nine gold, eight silver and nine bronze medals from this national competition.

Topping the club’s list of medal winners with three golds was eleven year old Caitlin George from Kingswood who attends Swadelands school in Lenham. Caitlin won both her individual kumite (sparring) and kata (forms) events before teaming up with Debra Scamp to win the pairs kata event.

Finley Lodge from Hollingbourne also won two golds defeating his club mate Lawrence Bordean in the final of the cadet 9-11 years kumite event before joining Lawrence and Daniel Kennard to take gold in the cadet team kumite event.

There were also golds to for Sensei Katie Simpson who won the adults mixed black belt kata event to add to her European championship title won in May this year, Luke Carpenter in the cadets mixed 12-15years kata event, Lawrence Bordean in the cadets mixed 9-11 years kata event and seven year old Luis Townsend from Lenham who won the 6-8 year olds kumite event.

“This was a fantastic result for the club”, said club instructor Sensei Chris Simpson “and a further endorsement of the club’s Development Squad programme. The club won the most medals in the competition but narrowly failed to top the table by one gold medal”.

Several of the students taking part in this competition are now training with the England Squad in the hope that they will be selected to represent England at the KSI World championships to be held in South Africa in 2014.

Karate, as a non-Olympic sport receives no central funding and therefore all the students who are on the squad will have to raise funds to pay for the costs of competing in South Africa.

Whilst the club is running several fund raising events if anyone is interested in sponsoring the Kent squad members or joining the club they should contact Chris on 07801 639052.

For further details about the club please visit www.kentkarate.co.uk