The “Pride of Okinawa” dominate the Male Team Kata to take the gold at Karate 1 – Series A Okinawa Tournament

The “Pride of Okinawa” dominate the Male Team Kata to take the gold at Karate 1 – Series A Okinawa Tournament

Male Team Kata gold medal winners Ryo Kiyuna, Arata Kinjo, and Takuya Uemura. November 26, Okinawa Prefectural Budokan, Naha (Photograph by Keizo Niisato)


 

November 27, 2017 Ryukyu Shimpo

 

The Japan Men’s National Team 1 – Ryo Kiyuna, Arata Kinjo, and Takuya Uemura (of the Okinawa Ryuei Ryu Karate Kobudo Organization) went undefeated with five straight victories on the final day of the Karate 1 –Series A Okinawa international tournament hosted by the World Karate Federation November 26 at the Okinawa Prefectural Budokan in Naha.

They capped off their day by besting Japan’s National Team 2 to take the gold medal for Male Team Kata.

 

This is the first appearance in the Series A tournament for Kiyuna, Kinjo, and Uemura after winning three straight championships in the Premier League tournaments hosted in Okinawa from 2014-2016.

Kiyuna, who has also won three straight gold medals in the individual Male Kata, won the same category at this tournament as well, marking the fourth straight year that the group has won the championship in international tournaments hosted in Okinawa in both the individual and group categories.

 

In an interview after the tournament, Kiyuna said, “The fundamental skills honed with care in practice came to life [in the tournament].

I am very pleased to go undefeated in both the individual and group categories.”

 

The team also won the Male Team Kata at the Karate World Championship in their first appearance in October, 2016.

Reflecting on this Kinjo said of the recent competition, “The pressure was extreme due to the great expectation placed on us, but we found power in the cheering of our supporters.”

Uemura commented on his desire for further success, saying, “I want to continue working hard to catch up to and even surpass the senior team members Kiyuna and Kinjo.”

 

(English translation by T&CT and Sam Grieb)

 

Go to Japanese


　


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