The morning part of the event saw a lot of great Kata performed by competitors ranging from white belts all the way up to black belts. After a lunch break, Kumite categories were commenced. There, many exciting bouts were displayed demonstrating the strong Kyokushin Spirit.

Tomomi warmed up very well with a help from Michi and Tama, and walked onto the mat for her first fight against a much bigger opponent. This was only her second tournament and she looked very uptight because of the lack of experience. She tried to move around but was pushed out of bounds a couple of times and lost the match.

The event used a double-elimination format which gave a second chance to each fighter. In her second fight, Tomomi looked more relaxed and used footwork in a more effective way. In a close distance, she landed powerful straight punches to the opponent's chests and her Gedan Mawashi Geri caught the left leg frequently. However, her guard was getting rather low, and that's how she was kicked in the head and lost Wazaari (a half point).
　

Although she came out of the event without a win, the orange belt showed great spirit and gained priceless experiences. Her next goal is already set to fight at Vancouver Cup in December and to win a match for the first time.

After the event, we were invited to a sayonara party, beautifully prepared by students of the Cranbrook dojo. We had a great time and Kyokushin bonding was further strengthened. We would like to thank Shihan Don and his students for their hospitality and hard work put in for the event preparation. Osu.

Tats Nakamura
Vancouver Kyokushin Karate

The Vancouver team: Tomomi (center) fought very well.