World Championships 2024 - Takasaki

Posted on 29th October 2024

Day 1 - 25 October 2024

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 🌎 🇯🇵Day 1 of the Funakoshi Gichin Cup is in the books!

Day 1 saw the completion of the junior and cadet categories, and we couldn't be prouder of our JKA England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 national team members who represented us so well! You each put in an incredible effort and truly deserved to be there.

Although we haven't brought home any medals just yet, we saw some truly outstanding performances, particularly in Kata, where our team exceeded expectations! 👊

A special shout-out to Yuki Hoshi for her amazing journey all the way to the finals in the Ladies 19-21 Kata event—what a fantastic achievement! 🌟

Day 2 - 26 October 2024

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🌎🏆Day 2 of the Funakoshi Gichin Cup: JKA England Shines!

We are thrilled with the incredible performances of our JKA England national team on Day 2! Every athlete showed true spirit and skill, representing us with pride.

Here are some exceptional highlights from today:

🥉 Mariko Watanabe - Secured 3rd Place in Kata with her performance of Chinte. Beautifully executed! 👌

🥇 Bianca Webb - Our new JKA World Champion in Kumite! She fought with determination, defeating two strong Japanese opponents amongst others to claim the GOLD in the 40-44 years age category. Bianca also deserves an honourable mention for placing 4th overall in her Kata category.

👏 Honourable mention to Eri Adachi for achieving 5th place overall in the ladies Kata (50-54 years) category.

👏 Beatriz Lacerda, Cyrielle Maroteau, and Aoi Nakamura - Their best Bassai Sho yet earned them a place in the top 8 in Team Kata. Tomorrow, they’ll take the stage again to continue their journey.

🥊 Akbar Shah - Battled his way into the final 8 in men’s individual Kumite. He’ll continue his quest tomorrow against some fierce competitors.

Day 3 - 27 October 2024

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 🌎 🇯🇵JKA England at the Funakoshi Gichin Cup JKA World Championship Finals

Day 3 marked the thrilling conclusion of the Funakoshi Gichin Cup JKA World Championship finals! Following Saturday's successes, we were proud to see the JKA England ladies Kata Team—Aoi Aoi Nakamura, Cyrielle Maroteau, and Beatriz Lacerda—reach the final 8. While Japan claimed the title as anticipated, our team’s dedication and hard work to reach this level of competition has filled us with pride.

In the men’s individual Kumite, Akbar Shah fought his way to the final 8, overcoming tough competition along the way. Though he faced defeat against Igarashi Sensei from Japan, the eventual silver medalist, his performance was outstanding.

This experience has been invaluable for the entire JKA England team, and we’re immensely proud of everyone’s efforts.

Thank you to everyone for the unwavering support and dedication! Next up: the JKA European Championship in Prague!