Karate Canada – August 27^th 2018 – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – Canada’s junior national karate team is celebrating a very strong medal showing at the 2018 Cadet & Junior Pan American Championships, held in Buenos Aires, Argentina, from August 22^nd-25^th, 2018. A total of 76 Junior National Team Roster athletes competed over the weekend at this major continental event bringing together 704 athletes from 20 different countries.

In female individual kata, Oonah Gamboa finished with a gold medal in the U14 division, while Olivia Brodie earned a bronze medal in the same division. In the Cadet (14-15) category, Amelie del Rosario won the silver medal. In the U21 division, Shalene Lee placed 7th. In male kata, Yushi Nakajima placed 5th in the Junior (16-17) category, while Vladimir Varin finished 7th in the U14 division, and Amr Fahmy placed 7th in the U21 category. Canada’s Cadet/Junior Female Kata Team, composed of Emmanuelle Jacques, Jade Fahey, and Megan Rochette, won the silver medal in the team event.

Canadian female kumite athletes earned a total of four individual medals in Buenos Aires: In the Junior (16-17 year-old) division, Yamina Lahyanssa (-48kg) earned the silver medal. In the Cadet (14-15 year-old) division, Jade Fahey placed second (+54kg) while Anna Sokolovski (-54kg) and Megan Rochette (-54kg) both placed third. Fifth-place finishes include Caitlyn Santos (Cadet -47kg), and Alethea Tablante (U14 -42kg), and finishing in seventh place were Daniela Diaz (U21 -50kg), Parvin Mayan (-61kg), Robin Fidyk (-68kg), Lillie Nadeau (+68kg) and Cyndelle Gagnon. The Canadian team also took the bronze medal in the U21 female team kumite event.

Male kumite athletes also performed very well, accumulating a total of six individual medals, including two golds, one won by Maxym-Oliver Rivest (U21 -84kg), who is also the current Senior -84kg Pan American Champion, and the other by Michael Plunkett (Junior -55kg). In the Cadet division, both Loïc Cloutier (-63kg) and Markus Enns (-70kg) took bronze medals, while in the U14 (12-13 year-old) division, Gabriel Mata (-45kg) also earned a bronze medal. Finishing in fifth place were Mehrdad Bagherzadeh (U21 -60kg), Alexandre-Benjamin Rivest (U21 +84kg), and Jérémi Lahaie (Junior -76kg). In seventh place was Liam Talib (Cadet -52kg). Finally, in the U21 male team kumite division, the Canadian men’s team placed 3rd.

KC President Mr. Craig Vokey notes that “The junior team performed very well in the PKF junior karate championships in Rio De Janeiro increasing their medal count over last year and coming away with three individual gold medals as well as many silver, bronze and top 8 finishers. Competing in the 2016 Olympic Park was an excellent experience and the event was probably the best junior event I have ever been to. I am also pleased that all KC officials also were kept busy and were complimented on their professionalism and their integrity. Congratulations to the coaching staff and thank you to so many supporting parents.”

The 2018 Cadet, Junior and U21 Championships mark the last international competitive event of Karate Canada’s Junior National Team’s 2018-19 season.

About Karate Canada:

Karate Canada is a not-for-profit corporation constituted under Part II of the Canada Corporations Act, with the objective of describing and incorporating all activities related to the promotion, organization, regulation and popularization of the sport of karate all over Canada, of protecting the physical and emotional health of athletes, and of promoting the interests of karate throughout Canada. Karate Canada and its 11 member Provincial and Territorial Associations assemble roughly 16,000 participants nationwide. Furthermore, Karate Canada is a proud member of the Canadian Olympic Committee, the World Karate Federation and the Pan American Karate Federation.

See more at www.karatecanada.org.
For more information and / or for photos: gillian.benson@karatecanada.org.