Local karatekas turned up in their numbers on Sunday last in a bid to display their skill and advance their rankings in the 2019 Association do Shotokan Karate-Guyana (ASK-G) Karate Championships.
The activity, which featured kata and kumite from karatekas aged five-six to adults, was quite entertaining for those in attendance.
Starting with the five- and six-year-old students, the males competed separately from the females and strove to outperform their colleagues in both kata and kumite.
Breaking the standard routine, the female and male adult events were contested immediately after the five and six years’ old division. The adult females competed
All of the participants at Sunday’s event
in kata first, followed by the kumite.
Roger Peroune, who is no stranger to competition, made light work of his opponents in the kata category to take the victory.
However, the male kumite can be hailed as the most entertaining event of the day, with a highly-competitive spirit coming from the participants. The experienced Peroune and the young and energetic Shemar Parkinson put on a show once again in contention for the title.
Parkinson rose to the occasion early in the kumite, defeating Malcolm Francis in a heated battle that saw both sides at 1/2 point each, with Parkinson overcoming Francis near the end with the additional 1/2 point. Parkinson then went on to
A glimpse of Sunday’s action
dispatch his other opponents on his way to the finals.
On the other side of the spectrum, Peroune quickly disposed of Budhdave Singh, but had a tough match against Trevon Miller, who stepped up from the 15-17 division into the adult group. After both gained a 1/2 point, Peroune was able to get the better of Miller with another 1/2 point.
The highly-anticipated final saw Parkinson scoring first; however, Peroune tied it up then lost another 1/2 point to Parkinson, who eventually won despite an oversight on a score.
Another karateka who performed exceptionally was young Kevin Fraser. Despite not being able to place, Fraser put up a good performance against the eventual winner, Shemar Francis in the male 12-14 kumite.
The best contestants in the following categories were also rewarded.
5&6 years white-orange belts
Male – Ethan Rosine
Female – Aishah Persaud
7-8 years white-orange belts
Male – Ajit Dehaan
7-8 years brown belt
Male – Maheshwar Dyasindoo
7-8 years green-purple belts
Male – Nicolai Adolph
9-11 years green-purple belts
Male – Maheshwar Dyasindoo
9-11 years brown & black belt
Male – Jeremy Hargobin
Female – Chelsea Benjamin
12-18 years white-purple belts
Male – Luke Seabra
12-14 years brown & black belts
Male – Shamar Francis
18+ years brown & black belts
Male – Roger Peroune
