Competition Day 4: Children kata and cadet kobudo!!

After three days of watching and supporting their older teammates, it was finally the turn of our 13 and under competitors to take to the mats for individual and team kata.

As expected at a World Championships, the standard was incredibly high, with large and highly competitive divisions throughout the day.

Team kata opened the morning. All teams delivered strong performances and looked confident after round one. Although none progressed to the medal matches, the Under 10 Boys team (Zac, Jacob, and Lawrence) came closest, finishing just outside the medals in a fantastic 4th place.

Next up was Frank, who gave excellent performances across three rounds, holding a top-three position until the final kata. He was narrowly edged out of the medals by just 0.1 – an incredible effort and well done, Frank!

Lawrence, also in his first major competition and in the same division, performed strongly and showed great composure, though he didn’t make it through this time. A brilliant debut and plenty to build on!

Ali and James followed – James in his first ever international competition. Both performed well, finishing 5th and 6th respectively in tough categories.

Hannah also stepped up in her first international appearance, delivering an excellent first round kata. An unfortunate error just cost her a place in the final, but with more experience, she’s definitely one to watch – she’ll be in medal contention soon!

In the 11–12 girls kata, Aleeza and Harriet competed in a particularly challenging division. Both remained in the top four across all three rounds alongside strong Mexican and Slovakian athletes. Aleeza secured a brilliant silver, and Harriet went into a tie-break for bronze. It was a tense final performance, but Harriet held her nerve and claimed her first international medal. A fantastic result for Dokan – 2nd and 3rd place!

In the 11–12 boys division, Zac performed a strong first round, while Harry had to fight through a first-round tie-break to earn his spot in round two. He followed up with a great kata, but just missed out on reaching the final.

Layla Rae also delivered lovely performances in both the first and second rounds of her category, finishing in 4th place.

Llau’rent performed a smooth and confident Pinan Godan, though it wasn’t enough to progress to the final round. Still a strong effort in a high-standard category.

Jacob, competing in the 8 and under boys section, showed great composure and delivered a strong kata in his first major competition. He didn’t progress this time, but it was a brilliant learning experience and a great first outing on the international stage.

To close the day, it was time for cadet and adult kobudo, with Layjha and Ariz representing Dokan in divisions largely dominated by very experienced American competitors.

Layjha, aiming to become both European and World short weapons champion, gave a beautiful kata and took the lead early – a position she held throughout to be crowned World Champion! Her second medal of the championships.

Ariz, in a division of 17 athletes and only two months into training with bo staff, performed incredibly well. He narrowly missed out on a place in the final, showing great promise for future competitions.

We wrapped up the day early and took the opportunity to explore Malmö’s Old Town together before heading for an early night – all in preparation for the final day of the championships: individual and team kumite for our 13 and under athletes!

As it stands, Dokan has earned 6 Gold 🥇, 10 Silver 🥈 and 6 Bronze 🥉 medals, placing us in 11th position overall out of all participating associations.

Everything is still to fight for on the final day – let’s go, team!